Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It
by CigarsAllAround
Summary: Logan carries a secret close to his gruff heart, adorable little Marie is the greatest Christmas singer of her generation and Victor needs a drink. Step inside and please read. This is an AU and is rated for feral language and grumpiness. Plus you have my written word this will be finished during Christmas week... almost. Edit: Ok, I lied. Story is now FINISHED, though! In April!
1. Chapter 1

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter 1**

**"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." **  
**― Albert Einstein  
**

"Look, I don't wanna be -" Logan sighed, digging around inside his jacket pocket for his trusty cigar and catching sight of the Professor's face. "I ain't gonna light it in here, Chuck. Now where was I?" he grumbled to the man, trying to drag his thoughts up close and personal again.

The Professor steeped his fingers together and watched the feral mutant carefully. He knew what this conversation was leading to, he knew why the brawler had made his decision, and he wouldn't stand in his way.

"You're going to leave us, Logan," he replied, his eyes twinkling with warmth. "And we'll all miss you."

Logan was uncomfortable with the comments and cleared his throat. "Yeah, well," he grunted, shrugging his shoulders. "I was never one to be tied down."

"Marie will take this badly you know," Charles commented sagely, thinking of the poor child. "She's become very attached to you."

"No idea why," the feral snorted, shaking his head. "I'm an asshole, Chuck. She's a little girl, a kid, and she wants to be friends with the likes of me. Hell, she don't need it in her life. Marie's seven and ready to head on out and find brats her own age."

"She's six, Logan," the telepathic man pointed out with a wry smile.

He slipped the unlit cigar between his lips. "I was close, Wheels. Real close."

Sighing, Charles' unwavering gaze never left the feral's face. "You found her by the highway and brought her here to live with us. She trusts you, she likes you, she even tells you off for smoking," he chuckled and soon became serious again. "You're the only person she isn't shy around, Logan. This will break her heart and most likely destroy her trust in everybody here."

Stalking for the door, Logan was done talking. It wasn't his problem to take care of the kid and he'd keep telling his ass that. Anyway, it was time to hit the road and go meet up with his brother. The guy was a dick, but he was still family and they had business to take care of.

Stepping out the study, he came face-to-face with a tearful Marie and quickly chomped down on his cigar. "Hell," he muttered under his breath.

"Ya leavin'?" Marie asked, her bottom lip wobbling.

"Yeah, kid, I am," he answered honestly, not one for beating around the bush. "Ain't too sure I'm gonna be coming back any time soon either."

Tears gushed down her pale cheeks and she pulled at his flannel shirt. "Ah don't want ya tah go!" she whined, close to sobbing her heart out. "Ya mah friend, Logan. Ya have tah stay here with meh."

"Kid, you gotta be reasonable here," Logan grunted, gently brushing her hands away from his shirt and looking down at her. "I'm not leaving because I don't like you. I've got things I gotta do out there. This ain't about whether I like you or not, 'kay?" She cried even harder and he sighed. "C'mon, stop crying, Marie."

The girl turned on her heels and fled to her bedroom. She didn't want Logan to leave! Who was she going to tell not to smoke because it was naughty? And who'd watch cartoons with her and growl every time she sang in their ear? She wanted him to stay with her. Logan was her best, best, best friend.

Logan watched the girl leave and frowned. "Shit," he grumbled, eyeing her running up the stairs.

He made his way out to the garage and lit his cigar as he hauled his ass to the truck. The kid would be fine without him and it weren't like they were joined at the hip or anything. And anyway, Christmas was for chumps and he was gonna head out to Canada and do what he always did around this time of year: drink beer with his brother until they kicked off and started tearing lumps out of each other. It was a family tradition.

Sliding into the front seat, he stuck the keys in the ignition and leaned back as he inhaled the heavy smoke. If that wolf of his brother's took a chunk out of his leg again he'd boot it into next year. The damn animal was too loyal to Victor for his liking. Weren't no fighting to be had when a wolf was ready to rip you apart and Sabretooth's claws were bearing down on you, that was for sure.

Then he got to thinking about the kid again. She was crying because of him and his asshole ways. He guessed she wanted him to hang back for her first Christmas here and he felt rotten to the fucking core. Hell, she was up there right now hugging her bear and sobbing into her pillow, he knew she was. The little girl's routine was as serious as a heart attack when she was upset.

Logan snatched the keys from the truck and shook his head. The kid would probably enjoy being able to play in ten foot snow drifts up north. She'd get to loving that damn wolf, too. Marie had a thing for animals, especially dogs. He might not have remembered her age, but he did know that.

"Here's hoping Vic don't scar her for life," he snorted, snuffing out his cigar and going to break the news to Marie.

She was gonna be spending Christmas in Canada with two growling ferals and a messed up wolf. Here's hoping she wasn't expecting to be fed turkey and all the trimmings on Xmas day. They usually ate chips, canned beans and a slab of bloody steak. Shit was sure gonna get crazy when he reached the cabin.

* * *

Logan made his way inside her room and looked down at her bed, watching her hugging all the sheeting, pillows and bear she could. He was right, he was always right, she was crying a river in here and she'd soon flood the place if she weren't careful.

"Hey," he called to her, stooping down and patting her back. "There's been a change of plans, kid." The man frowned when she made no move to answer him. "C'mon, you're gonna catch sick if you keep dropping tears like that," he added, picking her up and setting her down in front of him.

Marie gazed up at Logan tearfully and looked ready to fall apart. She wanted to keep her best friend with her. "Ah – Ah don't want ya goin' away," she sniffled sadly.

"Darlin'," Logan said, patting her head and jerking a thumb toward her closet. "Get packing. We're running late and it's a long drive. You get what I'm saying?"

She shook her head.

"You're coming with me," he explained, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Now get to packing," he told her, glancing at his watch. "We don't have all day."

Her tears started to dry and there was a spring in her step as Marie skipped to the closet in search of her dark green duffle bag. "Ah'm goin' tah Canada Land!" she sang excitedly, sliding the doors open and dragging her bag out to the bed.

She settled her teddy bear, Mr Bojangles, on Logan's knee and beamed. "Santa lives in Canada Land an' Ah have tah write him a letter or he won't be able tah find meh."

He watched her walk for her small desk in the corner and he sighed with irritation. "No, we don't have time for that now," he grumbled, sending her off to her closet with a gentle push.

Then he frowned when he registered all that talk about Santa. Hell, he wasn't expected to go along with that was he? Scratching his facial hair, he remained silent and dug around for another cigar. He sure needed the kick it gave him.

A disappointed Marie dropped Logan's wrapped present, a fairy wand, a pair of Rudolph socks and a colouring book into her bag with a small pout. She didn't know how Santa would find her and it made her feel very sad. What if he put her on the naughty list because she didn't tell him where she was going?

An oblivious Logan was too busy searching for his lighter to notice the kid's lack of skills when it came to knowing the difference between clothes and junk. He grunted in satisfaction when she looked ready to head on out to the truck and stood, knocking the bear to the carpet and grabbing her coat.

"Mr Bojangles!" she gasped, picking up her other best friend and tucking him under her arm tightly.

Logan rolled his eyes and zipped up her duffle as he watched her apologising to the bear for the 'silly man'. He snorted and picked up the bag, waiting to get going. "Kid, the bear's fine. Put this on because we're leaving now," he told her, holding out her coat.

She slipped her coat on without an argument and he was damn thankful for that.

"Let's get outta here," he rumbled to his little shadow, leading her out of the room and down the hall. "We got a cabin to get to."

* * *

Marie sang the best Christmas song again and again and again. She loved it and so did Logan! He always growled and made doggy noises when he was happy. She cuddled her teddy bear, Mr Bojangles, to her chest tightly. Santa loved Jingle Bells because his reindeer did. They probably ate them with their carrots and then farted broken bells everywhere. She told Logan that and he looked at her for a really long time.

Opening her mouth as wide as it would go; she kicked her legs and started to sing the only lines she thought she knew. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Jingle bells with carrots an' they're farted all the way tah Canada Land! Jingle bells, Canada Land, jingle bells!"

The man beside her gripped the steering wheel tightly and sighed under his breath. He might have been allergic to Christmas but he damn well knew that wasn't the way the song went.

"Kid, maybe you should take a break," he suggested, ready to slice and dice the next car that cut him off his chosen path through the interstate.

They were already heading over the border and he couldn't wait to grab himself a beer and go butcher a tree for fire wood. He was tense and the kid's singing was giving him a headache. She sure had talents but singing wasn't one of them.

"Logan," Marie said sweetly, strapped in beside him on the long, battered, leather bench.

"What?" he asked her, smirking as he flipped the finger when he overtook the bastard who cut him off earlier.

She listened to a car honking behind them and stared up at him with a stern look. "Ya goin' tah be on Santa's naughty list 'cause ya really, really naughty an' fart jingle bells all the time."

Logan rewarded her with a snort and she started singing again. This was going to be a _long_ drive.

* * *

Wolverine couldn't remember a time he'd been relieved to reach the cabin, but he was, even though the kid had finally fallen asleep and quit singing. He pulled the truck to a stop in the driveway and opened the door, a rush of frozen air hitting him.

His boots crunched in the snow as he made his way to the girl's side and opened her door. Not wanting to wake her or start her up singing again, he gently pulled her into his arms and scooped her up.

"C'mon, Marie," he whispered to her, holding her in one arm and grabbing her duffle bag with the other. "It's time to meet an asshole," he added, kicking the door shut with his foot.

He could already hear the wolf barking away and bouncing off the walls as he walked to the front porch. There was no knocking or waiting for Logan, he let himself in and instantly caught sight of a giant wolf bounding towards him.

"Victor," he grunted, stepping into the warm cabin and shooting a glare his brother's way. "Call it off."

Victor smirked when his brother popped his claws and whistled shrilly to the wolf. He clicked his fingers to a spot beside him and the great beast with the coal sprinkled fur trotted back to its master. But the older feral's eyes settled on his brother again and he scowled.

"What the fuck is that?" Victor growled, staring down the pup in his kin's arms.

Logan raised an eyebrow and shut the cabin door quietly behind him. "It's a kid," he answered, giving his brother a look. "What the hell do you think it is?"

Sniffing the air, a wave of understanding, a punch of shock and a bark of laughter came from Victor, the older of the two brothers. "A mistake. Should've bought a condom, Jimmy."

Wolverine curled Marie closer to him and a growl ripped through his throat as he sheathed his claws. "Can it, Victor."

"I'm serious," he smirked, patting his wolf's head. "She'd be long gone in a rubber grave if you'd worn a fucking condom." He sniffed the girl's scent again and shook his head. "Stupid motherfucker."

Logan's muscles tensed and if he hadn't been holding Marie shit would have flown and bones would have been snapped. "Enough," he warned, making his way over to the kitchenette.

"Thought I'd taught your ass better than that, little brother," the older feral taunted, lighting a cigarette and scratching behind the wolf's ear.

Marie started to stir awake and Logan ignored his asshole of a brother. "Hey, kid," he greeted, throwing her bag on the couch and sitting her down on the counter top "Hungry?"

The little girl rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced over at the other man. He was really tall and big and his hair was like short, messy sunshine. When she saw him looking at her, she tried to bury her face against Logan's flannel shirt.

Logan snorted and picked her up again. "See that guy over there?"

She nodded quietly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"That there's your uncle," he said to her, grinning when he caught sight of Sabretooth's face.

"Now wait a minute -" Victor snarled, settling down on the couch.

Marie felt a little braver now Logan was holding her and she leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "He's mean an' he's on Santa's naughty list."

"Yeah, I'm the mean one," Sabretooth grumbled, eyeing the two. "You wanna fill the pup in on your past, Jimmy? If not, pass me a fucking beer and tape her mouth shut."

Logan's eye twitched and he sniffed out the beer in the fridge. "Marie," he said to the girl gruffly. "You're not to copy anything your uncle says. He's a dick. That goes for me, too."

The small girl with the tangled brown hair was confused and sleepy. "Ya a dick an' so is he," she agreed, smiling when she spotted the really big doggy.

Victor barked out another laugh and Logan dropped a bottle of beer on his lap, drawing a snarl from the former. "Kid, that's strike one," he told his young charge. "Now stay out of trouble while I go searching for food."

Happy to be set on the couch, Marie climbed off the leather and wandered closer to the wolf, a little nervous, but more than curious too. She reached out a hand to touch his fur and was delighted when the wolf licked her.

Logan listened to the kid giggle as he opened a random cupboard and sniffed the contents. He knew the goddamn animal wouldn't attack the girl otherwise he'd never have brought Marie here in the first place. Finding nothing of use except chilli sauce and a can of beans, he sighed and went to fetch himself a beer.

"Pizza it is then," he announced, rubbing the back of his neck. "And Uncle Victor's paying."

* * *

**Chapter 2 has already been written, chapter 3 is in the works and Albert Einstein has nothing to do with the plot.**

**I hope you enjoyed this! **

**PS. Can you RP as Wolverine or Sabretooth? If so, please contact me! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter 2**

**"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."**  
**― Albert Einstein**

Victor had developed a facial twitch, Victor was gritting his teeth and Victor was part way to losing his damn mind. He stared down the pup trying to teach his fucking guard dog how to dance to a shitty Christmas song and he scowled at his brother.

"Make it fucking stop," he snarled, gulping down his beer.

Logan smirked and kept an eye on the time. "Hey, I'm waiting on the food," he told him, listening for the sound of the delivery driver's tyres on the snow.

"Canada Land, Jingle bells an' Canada Land," the little girl sang in a loud, heartfelt manner, leading the wolf in a circle by his heavy, chain link collar. "Jingle all the way! Santa's comin' for bells an' carrots."

The older feral sunk further in his seat and his eyes snapped shut. He was gonna kill the pup if she didn't catch a tune and take it back to America. Growling, he cracked open an eye and the girl was standing in front of him, leaning against his knees and smiling.

"I ain't singing," he grumbled, wanting to kick the crap out of his brother for bringing this shit to his door. "Now get away from me."

Logan growled at that. "She's just a tyke, Vic."

Frowning, Marie poked at his arm until the grumpy man looked at her again. "Ya have a really big doggy an' he likes dancin'," she told him.

Victor's brow furrowed at that. There was no way his wolf had a thing for dancing. No guard dog of his was fruity and he didn't like the accusation neither.

Not at all put off by the lack of reply, the small girl continued to talk to the man Logan said was her uncle. "Is ya doggy called Rudolph?"

Exhaling deeply, Sabretooth could sense the smirk his brother was wearing. "No."

"What's his name then?" Marie asked, pushing for an answer as she continued to poke and prod him like a child who enjoyed walking on the wild side of life.

"Morrok," the dangerous feral muttered, standing and stalking over to his cigarette pack and lighter.

Satisfied with the answer, Marie knelt in front of the wolf and rubbed noses with it as she giggled.

Logan sighed. "Kid, don't kiss the dog," he called to her, heading for the door when he caught the sound and smell of pizza. Paying the driver, he grabbed the box and brought it over to the counter, snorting when he was joined by Marie and the wolf trotting at her heels.

"Rudolph wants pizza!" she announced, bouncing happily on the spot.

Wolverine glanced down at the girl. "He doesn't like pizza, Darlin', it'll make him sick."

"But Logan," Marie whined, using her favourite pout. "Rudolph told meh he wants pizza."

"You're closing in on strike two," he warned her, plating up a slice of pizza and handing it to her. "I don't wanna hear you whining. Now go eat."

"Atta boy," Victor smirked, throwing his two cents in when his brother tried to tame the brat.

Logan shook his head and decided to ignore the dick. He grabbed yet another beer and went about lighting a cigar as he watched to see if Marie would do as she was told. When he was satisfied she was doing just that, he deposited his ass on the recliner chair and eyed the crackling fire. He'd have to buy the kid some gifts for Christmas. Hell, what was he going to get a kid her age?

Noticing Victor had gone to hang out and smoke on the frozen over porch, he went to join the fella with a deep frown. He smoked in silence, stopping every now and then to chug his beer.

"She's yours," Victor said quietly after the silence had eaten away at his thoughts.

Logan grunted, his cigar hanging from his lips and his gaze focusing on the line of snow crusted trees in his eye line. "What's your point?"

"Ain't got any point, Jimmy," he shrugged, flicking cigar ash in the cold breeze. The enormous man looked around. "Snows on the way."

"That it is," Logan replied, scenting the change of weather and glancing through the window. He spied the tyke singing to the slice of pizza and the wolf. "Think we'll be snowed in?"

"Figured on it," Victor shot back, scowling. "We're going to need more beer."

"I'm going to head on out to the store anyway." He scratched his mutton chops in frustration. "Have you any idea what to buy for a kid her age? You know, for Christmas."

Sabretooth gave his brother a dark stare and followed his line of sight. He could hear the girl singing a tuneless tune again. "I look like the type of asshole that knows what to buy a pup like that?"

Logan shrugged. "It was worth a shot. I'll hit the stores tomorrow. Alone."

Victor's eyes narrowed and he grabbed his rival by the front of his flannel shirt. "You leave her with me and I'm hogtying her and stuffing her in the woodshed to freeze to death."

The manhandling reared Wolverine's animalistic side. "Victor…" he growled fiercely, not taking too kindly to the threat concerning the kid.

"I ain't a babysitter, Jimmy!" he barked, snarling when Logan pinned him against the wooden cladding of the cabin. "And I meant every fucking word about the brat!"

The brothers soon started trading punches and growls, falling into the nature that had always dogged them in their adult lives. Claws were shown, teeth were bared and both of them dropped down the porch steps and crashed into the snow as they each attempted to gain the upper hand.

Logan pinned his brother down, then Victor turned the tables and the time dragged on as they each gained injury after injury. Bruises, bumps, gashes and split lips were handed out roughly and their healing factors were working in overdrive. Clothes were torn, warnings were shot down and they soon calmed when the clouds broke over them with snow.

Logan panted deeply, climbing to his feet as a deep scratch across his left cheek started to heal. "You're a dick," he stated darkly, stalking for the cabin.

"Right back at yer," Victor snorted, grumbling when he found he'd squashed every one of his cigarettes. "And you better gimme a cigar."

Marie was completely oblivious to any trouble outside. She had spent every second sweeping the floor with a broom she had found as she sang all about bells, dirty floors and a doggy called Rudolph. She beamed and giggled when the wolf bit down on the end of the brush and tried to steal it away.

"Naughty doggy," she said, shaking her finger at him. "This isn't yours."

Grabbing his stuff from the truck on the way to the cabin, Logan rolled his eyes. "Kid, quit playing with the wolf and eat your food."

The adorable girl turned around and dropped the broom to the wooden floor. "Logan," she started, looking at his naughty boy clothes. They were all messy and wet. "Did Santa's sleigh hit ya?" she asked excitedly, skipping to the window and standing on her tip toes.

He watched the girl peering out the window with a sigh. "Something like that," he muttered, tossing his bag on the counter and producing a crumpled shirt in his search for clean clothing.

"Jingle bells, Canada Land, bells an' farts an' Canada Land!" Marie warbled, jumping up and down to see if she could spot Santa anywhere.

Victor stalked in and snatched up his bottle of beer. He noticed it was empty and the pup was doing that singing thing again. "Now might be the time to start on the whiskey," he grunted.

* * *

Working the recliner, Logan brushed a hand through his wild hair and was a million miles away. He leaned back in the leather seat and his legs rose as he thought about Christmas. The gruff man couldn't say he was a fan of the holidays and would much rather have drunk, screwed , fought and gambled his way through the next two days or so, but he had the kid to think of.

Thinking of the kid, he closed his eyes and didn't know what to do for the best. Picking out gifts wasn't his strong point and what the hell did a six or seven-year-old want anyway?

A small smile suddenly tugged at his lips. She seemed to have a thing for dogs, stuffed toys and singing, so all he needed to find was a toy dog that sang like a cat getting strangled. Yeah, that wouldn't be too tough to find now, would it?

He slowly opened his eyes when a little tyke clambered on him. "Hey there, Darlin'," he greeted, wrapping an arm around her. "You and the wolf best buddies now?"

Marie nodded and tapped Logan's nose. "He's mah favourite doggy in the world," she told him sweetly, a tiny yawn tickling her tongue and making her curl closer to his chest.

Logan rubbed her back and fell silent for a bunch of minutes. He was pleased to hear she had finally made a friend, even if it was a dog. He'd rather that then her shooting the breeze with a toy bear.

"The naughty man's playin' with bubbles an' singin'," she whispered, her nose wrinkling.

He snorted in amusement. "Nah, he ain't. He's taking a shower and harping on 'bout me and my ass kicking skills," he joked, waiting for her to drop off to sleep.

"Ya a dick an' so is he," Marie remembered and quickly mentioned to Logan.

The man frowned. "There you go greeting strike two, Kid. I guess it's time for bed, huh?" He left the seat and carried her to one of the bedrooms, snagging her bag as he went.

The cabin was spread across one floor with two rooms, both doubles, one bathroom, a kitchenette come living space and a front and back porch. There was a woodshed down the way packed full of logs for the fire and a forest surrounding them. They were in total seclusion and he was happy with that.

"Ah don't want tah go tah bed," she whimpered as her lower lip wobbled.

"Tough," Logan grunted, putting her down on the bed and tapping her feet. "Shoes off, Darlin'." When she didn't move, he tugged her boots off for her and shook his head. "You're tired, I get that, but you best start being a good girl."

Marie started to sniffle because she thought Logan was being mean to her. She wasn't ready to go to sleep. Santa didn't know where she was yet and she wanted to dance with Rudolph the doggy again. He was a really good dancer and liked it when she sang about carrots and Canada Land.

"C'mon, kid," he sighed, unzipping her duffle. "We'll get your pyjamas on, tucked up in bed and you'll be-" He stopped talking and rifled through the junk she'd gone and packed. "Hell," he grouched, looking her way. "Where are your clothes?"

She crawled closer to him and picked out her socks, holding them up to show him sadly.

Logan dragged a hand down his face and counted to ten. "Christ," he muttered, going to grab one of his own shirts. "Let's get you ready for bed, kiddo."

* * *

Marie was cuddled to his chest and he ruffled her hair gently. "Best get some sleep, Darlin'," he told her, shifting her under the sheets and tucking her in.

"It's scary here," she whispered, clinging onto his shirt. "Ah don't like it, Logan."

Wolverine kissed the little girl's forehead, happy to be a gentle bastard while he was alone with her. "Hey," he grunted, handing her the bear. "There's nothing to be scared of, kid. Nobody out there's as tough as me," he added jokingly.

She cuddled Logan's arm tightly. "Ya couldn't fight Santa an' win," she pointed out.

Logan chuckled. "I think you've gotta point there, Marie," he smirked, leaving her to hang onto his arm and use it as a pillow.

He listened to her whispering about "reindeer carrots" and "Santa farts" as she slowly embraced a life of drowsiness and sleep.

After waiting patiently for her breathing to even out, he slowly untangled her arms from his and stroked her messy hair. "Night, kid," he snorted softly, standing and fumbling for a cigar.

Logan stepped quietly for the door, his thoughts centred on a certain mission he'd be undertaking tomorrow. The feral mutant was starting to get a grip on taking care of the kid and he didn't hate it either. He'd also have to gain footing on Santa that was for sure because nobody would hold him down or beat his beard.

* * *

**JosephineX -** Thanks and I love the name Mr Bojangles. Isn't it perfect for a teddy bear? Ha, I bet you agree. I'll have you know I stole said name from your thoughts. ;)

**cjm184 - **Thank you for taking the time to review!

**gaben - **Oh yes, swearing is fantastic. My lips find swear words liberating. Thank you for the review!

**jamiekid9 - **If it wasn't for you bashing my muse and chasing me with words, this story wouldn't exist and I never would have put this out there. So thanks for that, thanks for RPing with me and thanks for reviewing. :)

**Booklover9477 - **Aw, thank you. I hope you love this newest chapter too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter 3**

**"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself."**  
**― Albert Einstein**

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells are comin' tah Canada Land!" Marie wailed, trying her very best to sound like the lady girl she had heard on the radio once. "Jingle all the way tah Canada Land."

Victor was slugging down shots of the strongest whiskey he could lay his paws on. There was an ache brewing in his head again and he wondered why he was being punished for his brother's mistake. This was driving him to the point of crazy.

Leaving the bedroom, Logan scooped the kid into his burly arms and looked her in the eye. "I've got errands to run," he started off, jiggling her a little in his arms when she seemed unhappy over the prospect. "You, the bear and your singing are staying here with your uncle Victor, 'kay?"

Marie shook her head sadly.

"Yeah, you are," he snorted, pecking her on the forehead and sitting her down on the recliner. "And you're gonna behave yourself, too. You're on your last strike, kiddo."

Ruffling her hair, Wolverine made his was over to where Victor was hanging with the whiskey.

"Jimmy, you do this and I'm gonna snap your neck," the older feral warned, grinding his teeth. "I ain't babysitting material."

Wolverine cocked his head to the side and smirked. "I'll bring back some beer," he shrugged, grabbing his keys and stuffing his feet into his scruffy boots. "Perhaps some of that whiskey you're always hankering for if you keep the kid safe and outta trouble."

Victor's eyes narrowed when he realised James was trying the bribe trick on him. "Make it decent or you'll pay," he added to the conversation, returning to his drink.

Logan snorted, "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, glancing over at Marie and calling her to him. "Where's my promise, huh?"

Marie wandered closer to Logan and hugged his side. "Ah don't want tah promise 'cause ya runnin' away tah go sing with another lil girl."

"Sounds like you Jimmy," Victor smirked.

He tucked her hair behind her ears and tried to chase his amusement away. "Kid, these look like singing boots to you?" he questioned, pointing down to his black boots.

The sulky girl nodded. They really, really did look like singing boots to her.

Patting her head, Logan nudged her chin upward and gazed into her eyes. "C'mon, tell me you're gonna be good while I'm gone, Marie. You know the rules."

She held his hand and tugged on it. "Ah promise tah be a good girl," she announced, instantly launching into a cheery song. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, Logan's goin' tah Santa's singin' school! Jingle all the way. Jingle, Canada Land an' bells, bells, bells!"

"See you later, kid," Wolverine grunted, trying not to grin as he left his brother to it.

He trusted Victor with his life and that went for Marie's too. There was a deep vein of protectiveness inside his brother. He knew that, the bastard had helped take care of him when he'd been growing and coming to terms with his powers when he was just a tyke. Victor might have acted like he didn't give a damn either way, but the kid would come to no harm when she was with him. Family was important to Sabretooth and he was experienced in the art of killing to protect what was his.

* * *

His brother was long gone and Victor wanted to grow his hair just to have something to tear out. The pup was a singing machine. She hadn't fucking stopped since Jimmy had fucked off! And now she was over there trying to get his wolf to dance again.

"Bells, bells, bells, jingle, jingle!" she beamed, picking up Mr Bojangles, holding his paws and swinging him around. "Canada Land, Santa farts in Canada Land, jingle all the way." But then something really horrible happened and she screamed and screamed because she needed to.

Swinging around, Victor's heart almost suffered a cardiac arrest. "Shit," he growled in relief, catching sight of the problem and thinking it wasn't nothing to bleat on about.

Morrok was trying to eat the damn bear and the menacing man shrugged to himself. Turning away, he was kinda pleased the girl hadn't gone and gotten herself killed. He'd almost been worried there. Soon he was on the thought process of dragging the wolf away though when the pup started crying.

Sighing heavily, he stalked over to the scene and growled. "Hey!" he barked, taking Morrok by the collar and clicking his fingers in front of the wolf's face. "Sit."

The giant beast sat down obediently.

Nodding in satisfaction, Victor snatched the bear from the wolf's teeth and handed it back to the girl. "There," he grumbled, completely out of his depth. "Stop crying."

Large tears rolled down Marie's pale cheeks and she gasped when Mr Bojangles' leg fell to the floor and didn't jump about and come back to her bear. Her lower lip began to tremble and she picked the furry limb up. Looking from her broken best friend to her new uncle, a small sob escaped from her and she wasn't feeling very happy at all.

* * *

Logan had done the unthinkable and travelled to the nearest shopping mall he could find. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ventured into the building, frowning when his eyes were assaulted with a Christmas scene Marie was probably responsible for spewing everywhere.

There were lights, a tree, two trees, no three trees and a snowman, two snowmen and hell, there was too much. He almost walked out right then but knew he needed to pull his head out his ass and go buy the kid some presents to open on Christmas day.

Shaking his head, he spotted a toy store across the way and walked toward it. He wanted the girl to grow up happy and adjusted, and if that meant he had to keep up these appearances over Santa dropping gifts down the cabin's chimney, he'd do it, just for her.

His frown deepened when he stepped into the store and he scanned the different aisles with his eyes. Ignoring the boys section, he found himself down the pink side of the store and surrounded by shelves full of stuff. Hell, he wished he'd brought Marie along just so she could point out what looked like fun to her.

He scratched his chin and caught sight of a toy dog in a box covered in writing and pink packaging. "Barks and flips, huh," he muttered to himself after reading the instructions. Sticking his finger through the hole, he pressed the button and pulled a face.

The dog yapped and Logan sighed. It was gonna be damn annoying but the kid would love it. He carried the box further down the aisle, a little lost, but determined to collect as much as he could fit in his arms.

* * *

"Stop crying!" Victor snarled, getting in the girl's face and grinding his teeth.

When that didn't work and the rugrat started wailing, he threw a shot of whiskey down his throat and tried to deal with the ripple of guilt he felt for yelling at her. His mission in fucking life wasn't to go around making pups cry, especially not Jimmy's pup.

"Look," he muttered, picking her up and balancing the tiny kid on his huge palm. Her back rested against his chest and he downed another shot. "This crying, it don't help nobody. You get what I'm saying, pup? You remind me of Jimmy, he was a wuss when he was a tyke, too." He reigned in his tongue and continued to hold her. "He's still a wuss now."

Marie was still cuddling her broken Mr Bojangles and his poorly leg. She sniffled because the mean man had shouted at her, the mean doggy had tried to eat her best friend and mean Logan had left her here to cry lots and lots.

Out of sheer desperation Victor was damn glad nobody else was here but him and the kid. He was gonna use something that connected with his animalistic side, but should also work to plug the girl's tears before she had the cabin under water.

He curled her closer to him and a small rumble built in his chest. It was used on pups in the wild, a way of letting them know they were safe. He supposed it was calming in some way too for them to hear an older feral helping them away from their problems and closer to sleep.

Victor breathed a sigh of relief when she paid closer attention to his soft growling rather than the torn apart toy. "You just stick close to me, pup," he told her, continuing to rumble away until she was almost asleep.

With her dozing and catching on up with her snoring, he poured himself another shot and was determined to do something to help the situation further. It was his wolf that'd gone and kicked up a stink and he was gonna put that right.

He opened the bottom drawer in the kitchenette and grabbed himself a heavy feeling hammer. The dangerous looking tool, bought way back in the 1800's, was set on the countertop as he dug around for a bunch of large, keen-edged, copper nails he often used to keep the slate in place on the cabin roof.

Yeah, Victor would sort this out real good and stop the pup from losing any more water from her eyes. Her eyeballs already looked like they were tangled in a bundle of red string and kicked puppy. This whole fucking situation was pissing him the hell off and he understood it was up to him to make her feel better with the way her life was going today.

With one of his arms full of sleeping pup, he eyed the room and wondered how he was supposed to do a good deed when he couldn't put her down. Better yet, what made him want to stop being a psychotic asshole for the time being? The way he saw it, living like this suited him down to the ground.

* * *

Logan had loaded his arms with junk that little girls would label as toys. He'd picked out the cuddly variety, anything to do with dogs, other animals and whenever his gaze caught the colour green, he grabbed that too. The feral knew for a fact Marie loved that colour.

After dumping the stuff with a wide-eyed cashier, he went back and helped himself to some books, colouring pencils, pens, stickers and even spotted a green blanket lined with sheep's wool and decorated with animals akin to the plains of Africa. Yeah, he'd be purchasing that as well.

He left the stuff with the shocked looking woman behind the counter and went for another walk around the store. Being a man, a brawler and a feral too, he wouldn't ask for help. He could do this alone because he should know what his own kid liked. At least he would have done if he'd been in her life for longer than five minutes.

Sighing, he paused down the middle of an aisle and glanced at the toys he was surrounded by on either side. He didn't know what he was doing, he weren't even sure if she'd like what he had already chosen for her, but he at least had the hope she'd love every single thing and he would make a Christmas she'd remember for a long time.

A thought than dawned on him and he groaned in worry and irritation. Christmas came once a year and that meant he'd have to come here again and what about the kid's birthday? For one thing he had no idea when that was and he'd have to find out. But he also never wanted to set foot in another toy store for as long as he lived. He was in hell. Although a grin almost cracked his face in two when he remembered Victor was stuck with a singing kid.

Logan carried the smirk around as he checked up on each toy and wondered if Marie would like it. He wasn't bothered if he had to come here every day for a whole month as long as he was pissing his brother off.

Picking up one last box, something to do with a doll named Barbie and the accessories it came with inside its packaging; he headed back to the cashier and stood the gift on the counter with a sigh.

"Ring that up would you," he said gruffly, taking his wallet from his back pocket and wondering why she was looking at him the way she was.

The short woman had to stand on her tiptoes to even see the man. There were so many toys cluttering her counter, she was wondering how many children he had. "Somebody is certainly getting spoilt this Christmas," she smiled, beginning to scan each item and asking another two sales assistants to help her bag the items.

Logan grunted. "Yeah, it's my brother. He's got a thing for stuff like this."

"Oh," the woman, portly yet pretty, said, trying not to snicker. "How old is he?"

Scratching his mutton chops, Wolverine shrugged. "About a hundred and seventy give or take a year."

The three ladies behind the counter paled and the rest of the transaction was finished in relative silence until Logan was required to pay. As he wondered how the hell he was going to carry all the bags to his truck, he raised an eyebrow at the total.

"Sir, that'll be $485.95, please," the perky woman chirped, probably trying to get rid of him.

If Logan has been chomping on a cigar he would have choked on it. He peeled open his wallet and produced a wad of American dollar bills. He was pleased to hear they took them this far north. As he watched the cash being counted, he eyed the great number of bags and said goodbye to his cage fight winnings. Still, it was a price to pay if it brought a happy smile to the kid's face.

* * *

Logan was sick to the back teeth of shopping today. It was dark now, the temperature was dropping and he'd stopped off at another store for beer, whiskey, smokes and some food for the cabin. He couldn't expect the kid to live of takeouts and air.

Thankful to be back in his truck and heading for the cabin, he shook his head when he wondered where the hell he was going to hide all these toys. "The woodshed is as good as any place," he muttered to himself, making good time on the empty roads.

He turned into the long, ice battered dirt track leading to the cabin and cocked his head to the side when he heard crying. Parking up, his eyes snapped to the house and he threw the truck door open and sprinted for the front porch. The kid was crying! Why in hell was the kid crying?

Bursting inside the cabin, claws unsheathed and a growl on lips, he only spotted Victor frowning and a sobbing Marie running his way. Sighing, he sheathed his damn claws and scooped the little girl into arms.

"Hey," Logan muttered, hugging her tightly, a protective streak kicking in. His dark glare shot toward his brother. "What happened here?"

Victor shrugged and headed outside to the truck. "You better have bought me some fucking whiskey, Jimmy."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm trying my best to finish this story before Christmas Day! Thanks to everybody who has reviewed and I promise I'll name and shame you all as soon as the last chapter has been posted. Chapter five has already been written and chapter six is already in the works. I don't expect this story to hit over seven chapters anyway, but the latter will probably be posted after the 25th Dec. Have you ever tried churning a story out like this? Argh, it's hard if you actually want to sleep at some point! xD **

* * *

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter Four**

**"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding."**  
**― Albert Einstein**

"Marie, darlin'," Logan said, brushing her hair away from her damp, tearstained face. "Calm down. Breathe with me, huh? It'll make you feel better."

He cradled the girl in his arms and wondered why she was _this _upset. When his brother stalked in the cabin again with the liquor and smokes, he growled. "What did you do?"

Victor snorted and emptied the contents of the bags on the counter, smirking when he spotted the whiskey. "Jimmy, I watched over her like you asked me to." He cracked open a beer as an afterthought and turned to face the other feral.

"What did you do?" Logan snarled, his hackles rising. "She never cries like this unless there's a goddamn reason for it. So start talking!"

"It was him," the older mutant scowled, pointing over at the yawning wolf. "He went and acted like a fucking ass and I tried to fix it. Ain't my fault you've got yourself lumbered with an ungrateful brat."

Thinking the kid had been bitten or something, Logan sniffed the air for any sign of blood and started checking her over. Shit, why had he left her here alone when there was a huge wolf with an attitude problem blundering around?

"Morrok didn't take a chunk outta her," Victor grumbled, making quick work of his beer.

Satisfied his brother was telling the truth; Logan tried to calm the girl down and still watched the other guy with an angry eye. "Then why is she crying like there's no tomorrow?"

"L –Logan!" Marie whimpered, tears still running down her cheeks. She pointed over to the nearby coffee table with a devastated sob and a trembling finger. "Logan!"

Wolverine followed the point where her hurt had settled and his brows knit together. Her bear, the same one she'd had since she had come into this world, the toy she slept with every night and fed ice cream to was nailed to the table.

"Victor," Logan barked, growling at his brother. "What the hell's the matter with you!?"

The feral in question swallowed a growl and helped himself to another beer. "I was trying to help," he rumbled in his own defence. "The wolf got hold of it, the leg fell off and the pup was on a crying streak. What'd you want me to fucking do?"

"Not to make things worse for a start," he grunted, walking over to the table and spotting the bear's leg nailed down with the rest of its body. "Hell, if you wanted to get it attached again why didn't you sew it back on?"

Victor snorted. "I don't sew, Jimmy." He scowled. "And you go picking up a needle; I'm disowning your ass real quick."

Logan hugged the kid and shook his head. "You're a complete dick, Victor," he stated, going to make himself comfortable on the recliner. He settled down and sat the girl on his lap. "Kid, you need to calm down. You're going to be sick if you carry on like this."

Trying to soothe her tears, he hushed her and stroked her hair. "Shh, Marie," he whispered, still entering into a staring contest with his dumbass of an older brother. "Your uncle's an idiot, okay? I'll get the bear fixed for you, Darlin'."

When she still didn't stop crying, Logan glared at Victor. "You happy with yourself, huh? I hope you know where to stick that hammer."

Victor heaved a sigh. "Go grab your shit from the truck," he ordered, eyeing the pup with a thought trailing through his mind. "I'll sort this." He caught the look he was receiving. "Fuck it, the right way this time." His brother was still giving him the evil eye. "James, I'm gonna sort it!"

Logan growled deep in his chest at the anger he was scenting off him. "Yeah, I'm really going to leave her with you again," he grumbled, standing to his feet and doing just that. There was nothing else he could do, he had to fetch the kid's toys, hide them and lock the woodshed and truck. "Deal with this, Victor," he demanded, clenching his fists as he pecked Marie on the forehead and set her on his feet. "Or _I'll _deal with _you_."

"Like to see you try, little brother," Victor mumbled, containing his urge to pin Logan down and beat him. He waited for him to leave and he stalked over to the crying girl and yanked her off the floor. "You're crying again, pup," he commented, curling her closer to him. "And I'm real sorry 'bout that, you know, I like yer, even though you're crappy with your singing and the likes."

Marie rubbed at her eyes and sniffled really, really sadly because she was sad, very sad and more than sad. He'd hurt her teddy meanly and now she couldn't move Mr Bojangles off the table.

Edging closer to the place of the bear's nailing, he stood Marie on the table and pointed at the fucking toy. "See that?" he asked, looking his usual dangerous and dishevelled self. "That's a toy who's real happy to have a big bed like that. Think of all the females he could invite in there with him, hey. He'd nail 'em all," he smirked, liking the word play he was figuring out.

The little girl blinked at her uncle, confused and drowning in sadness. She would really be sad until she wasn't here anymore because Mr Bojnagles was saddened and sadly sad.

Victor sighed. "Some sick fucks in this world get off on nails. You know what I mean, pup? When I was, I dunno, around your age or something, a bunch of nail-lovin' bastards tried to get me hooked on this fat book full of tales and stuff. Never could understand why a group of skirt wearin' folks outta Rome wanted to play with tools an' wood built into crosses."

When he caught a whiff of the girl's confusion, he snorted and patted her head. "Jimmy was just the same way back then. He was the tyke hanging back, feeling real confused over everything. I was the little shit up on my feet and throwing the damn book of crap at some fireplace." A dark smirk played on his face. "Got one hell of a whippin' for that but it was worth it. First taste of causing havoc and pain that was."

* * *

Logan, meanwhile, was oblivious to his brother's way of dealing with Marie and the bear. He had grabbed every single bag, gift and toy from the truck and squirreled them away into the woodshed with one sole purpose in mind: kicking Santa's ass.

Sure, he knew there was no such thing, but that didn't matter. In his eyes his kid needed the best and she'd be getting it from now on. There would be no more shirking his responsibilities or taking off for months at a time. He'd be stuck to Marie's side like glue and nobody would be getting in the way of him building a relationship with the kid.

He lit a cigar as he locked up the shed and was surprised when his X-Man communicator buzzed away in his jacket pocket. He'd never owned a cell phone and nobody would want to contact him anyway so this was a bit of a surprise to him.

Raising an eyebrow, he produced the communicator, answered it and pressed the damn thing to his ear. "What?" he asked gruffly, exhaling a ring of smoke into the frozen air.

"Logan," Scott greeted, his voice dropping with disapproval. "Where are you?"

Wolverine sighed heavily and chomped away on his cigar. "Didn't know that was any of your business, Cyclops."

"Of course it's my business," he tutted, sounding flustered. "You've taken Marie, why did you take Marie? We need to know where you've taken her. You can't just run away with a child, Logan. How irresponsible can you get? This isn't the same as taking my bike and –"

Logan growled. "Now you listen up, bub," he started, ready for a fight. "I can do what I like with the kid." He puffed away on his cigar, growing more pissed as the conversation went on. "And if you're not careful I'm gonna come visiting with a boot that's going to greet your backside."

Scott didn't sound impressed. "That's really mature, Wolverine. Threatening somebody is a sure sign you shouldn't be anywhere near Marie. Tell me where you are and we'll come pick her up. She deserves to be home for Christmas, don't you think?"

Fury cluttered and drowned his thoughts at the idea of his kid being taken from him. He might have been calmer and held more morals and kindness than his brother, but he would never let anybody take his little girl anyway from him, especially not an asshole like Cyclops.

"You listen up," he snarled, biting his cigar in two and crushing it under his boot when it dropped to the frozen ground. "She's mine. That kid's mine and if I catch sight of you around her you won't know what hit you, bub, get me?"

Logan cut the call and stamped on the communicator, destroying the device and picking up the tracker. If the X-Men wanted to come for the kid, he'd be waiting with adamantium laced fists.

Growling lowly, he headed back to the cabin with stormy thoughts. The truth was nobody but the Professor knew Marie was his, but that didn't excuse Scott's threat of jumping onto the X-Jet and coming up here to snatch her away. He'd always thought Cyclops was a dick and he'd damn well been right all along. Though he'd never thought the guy was suicidal, too.

* * *

"That make some sense, pup?" Victor asked, hoping for an answer of his liking.

Marie nodded, kneeling down on the table and tickling Mr Bojangles' nose. "He's happy here 'cause he'll be okay soon. Logan's goin' tah save him with silly magic an' words that make people in tah sheep."

"Close enough," the dangerous feral muttered, glancing over his shoulder when he scented his brother's rolling fury. When it wasn't directed at him, he frowned suspiciously. "Realised why it's real important to your wallet you wear a condom?" he questioned, smirking.

"Shut it, Victor," Logan ordered, not in the mood for banter or fighting.

Victor watched him grab the whiskey and unscrew the cap. He caught sight of the tracker dumped on the counter and stalked right for it. "The hell is this?"

"You know what it is," the younger feral mumbled, drinking straight from the bottle. "It's a sure way to take on the X-Men if they come calling and they make good on their threats."

"Threats?" Sabretooth snorted, giving his brother an amused look. "What fucking threats? I thought you were down with the cue ball and his crew of hookers." He watched him scowl. "That a no, Jimmy?"

Logan growled and downed another large helping of whiskey. He thought it might help the anger and the situation if he confided in his brother for once. "I've just had Summers on the phone harping on about me taking the kid away from there," he said seriously, gazing over at the girl talking to the nailed bear.

"So what?" he shrugged, not really giving a damn.

"Cyclops went on about how I was being an ass and the way he sees it they're gonna be coming our way to get her back. You see, he don't know she's mine, at least he didn't till now. I'm not sure if he caught on when I was chewing him out just now. The guy isn't exactly known for his brains."

Victor snarled and cracked his knuckles. "He won't be known for nothing but being dead if he shows up here," he warned darkly, snatching the bottle from his related rival and swigging from it.

Logan silently agreed, although he didn't want to voice those sentiments. He had always struggled to control his animalistic side, but now it was starting to unravel and he wasn't sure he wanted to make the effort to stop it from happening. The thought of Marie being dragged back to New York, away from him, away from his sharp eye and gruff protection was close to sending him wild.

Carefully climbing down from the coffee table, Marie padded softly over to Logan, still dressed in his flannel shirt. She stood in front of him and pulled at his sleeve. "Logan, Ah'm cold. Canada Land makes meh go like this," she said, starting to shake. "It's goin' tah make Santa cry an' his beard's goin' tah fall off."

The fury was wiped away once his little girl started to talk. "I hear you, darlin'," he chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I'll go grab a blanket and those socks of yours, okay?" He started walking to the bedroom they were sharing. "This is why I asked you to pack your clothes, kiddo."

Victor rolled his eyes at his half-brother's parental side. Hell, it was killing him. "You see this, pup?" he asked, tapping the bottle he was holding.

Marie nodded and leaned against his legs. "It's a baby bottle."

Logan snorted at that, grabbing her socks from her bag and searching the built in closet for a blanket hanging around in there somewhere.

"No, it ain't," Sabretooth rumbled, pulling a face. "This shit warms folks up. My Pa was a real bastard but he knew how to keep me warm with this when I was a rugrat."

"Victor!" Logan grouched, carrying the blanket and the socks from the bedroom. "Don't tell her stuff like that," he sighed, calling Marie over to the couch. He bent down when she sat on the leather and dropped the blanket on her. "Wrap yourself up in that, Darlin'," he told her, taking the long, fluffy socks in his hands and putting them on her cold feet. "That better?"

The small southerner smiled. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, Canada Land an' bells. Ah'm really warm in Canada Land an' baby bottle bells!"

"That'd be a yes," Wolverine snorted, stepping over the wolf lounging by the fireplace and making his way back to the kitchenette. "And you need to start watching what you say around her, Vic. I don't want the kid growing up like we did."

Victor grumbled at that and eyed the girl with a pointed look. "That pup ain't nothin' like us, Jimmy." He glanced at his brother as she started singing again. "Well, she ain't nothin' like me. Your Ma took to singing like that when she lost her fucking mind."

Logan's lips twisted in a snarl and Sabretooth barked out a laugh that soon faded as Marie sung the rest of the evening away.


	5. Chapter 5

**It's Christmas morning here and I thought I'd pop on and post this chapter. I'm just about to start watching my Morecambe and Wise DVD. I don't think Christmas would work without them! If you have no idea what I'm typing about, shame on you. I love Morecambe and Wise, they're brilliant. :D **

**Anyway, my Mum is currently going crazy in the kitchen because she loved the digital radio I bought her. Honestly, she's dancing just like Marie! What did you buy your mum for Christmas?**

* * *

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter Five**

**"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut"**  
**― Albert Einstein**

Logan growled playfully and swung the kid through the air in a circle. "Time for some shuteye," he called out, kicking the door shut behind him as he dropped to the unmade bed with her.

The girl's clear-cut scent was clogged with mint from the toothpaste he'd caught her eating earlier and he snorted when she sat on his chest, grinning and pulling faces.

"You've been spending too much time around your uncle," he added, smirking her way. "He's teaching you manners a little girl shouldn't be displaying."

Marie poked and prodded Logan's face and giggled. "Ah'm not tired," she announced.

"Too bad," he replied. "Kids like you should be asleep by now. I've already let you stay up way past your bedtime." He checked his watch. "It should have been lights out well over an hour ago."

Suddenly falling into a depressed state, she flopped against Logan's shoulder and sulked in silence. She couldn't sleep without Mr Bojangles and he was still in bed on the coffee table without a drink or a lady friend. Her scary uncle had said her teddy needed a lady to be happy, some sheep too and a smoky cigar thing he could eat.

"What's up, darlin'?" Logan questioned, wearing a frown and brushing a hand though her hair. "Heading to bed isn't that bad. You get to wake up tomorrow and hang around for that Santa buddy of yours."

She sniffled and was more than sad now because she wanted to hug her teddy bear. "Ah want Mr Bojangles, Logan. He misses meh! Ah want him, Ah want him, Ah want him!"

The feral heaved a heavy, put upon sigh and pulled her close. "Kid, I'll go fetch him for you," he said, rubbing her back and rolling her under the sheets. "You stay here and –"

Logan paused, cocking his head to the side when he caught a faraway sound. His eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed as he curled her to his side protectively.

"It's me and you kid," he finished off, his eyes settling on the bedroom door. "And you're staying right here."

* * *

Victor stalked out to the front porch, his breath punching a cloud of smoke as his lips stole a rope of strong, Cuban nicotine. He'd taken one from Jimmy's stash and was savouring the taste as he stared off across the way. There was somebody coming, a new scent in the air and his nails extended as a dark smirk kicked his murderous thoughts into touch.

Whistling sharply, he glanced down at his chunk of canine. "Stay," he ordered the beast, not wanting some fucker to blast it away. Yeah, he liked his wolf. What of it? "And do some good guarding."

His glare crept on the forest again and he stalked down the porch steps and into the snow covered darkness with a cigar housed between his fingers. Somebody was going to get their ass kicked for trespassing on his fucking land.

Dropping cigar ash in his wake, he knew for a damn fact Jimmy wouldn't be there to hold him back this time. Somebody was gonna die out there and he'd enjoy smelling their fear as he snuffed their life out. There was something about watching the years fade from a victim's eyes that tickled him and that usually worried the crap out of his younger brother.

Victor stopped at the edge of the forest and he smirked. "Shit," he snorted, looking his prey dead on. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

* * *

Shooting off the bed, Logan stood at the window and eyed the woods with a look of deep concentration. There was only one, a male, and he knew who it was. Victor was out there too and that spelt trouble for his night and the bedtime routine he was trying to teach the kid.

"Stupid dick," he muttered, going for the door. "Marie, stay here and don't move! I mean it, kid. You stay in bed till I'm back with your uncle."

He didn't wait for an answer as he sprinted free from the cabin and slammed the door shut behind him. Flying past the wolf, he beat his feet into submission as he raced for a certain spot in the woods. His worry hit a fever pitch and he was starting to wonder how many damn times his brother had been dropped on the head as a baby.

A stream of ruby red light smashed through the tree line and his eyes narrowed as he leapt out the way and landed into harsh undergrowth with a grunt and a shake of his head. But a feral roar soon sent him to his feet again and he ran at the source.

"Victor!" he yelled over the fierce sounds of fighting.

* * *

Marie had inherited the complete lack of awareness that seemed to riddle her family like woodworm. She held her hand close to the miner's lamp beside her on the small, battered table that looked like an elephant had sat on it and she tried to make a duck with her fingers.

She spotted the shadow she was making on the wall behind her and she frowned.

"Quack, quack, quack," she cried, bouncing off the bed and running to the other end of the room. She leaned against the plaster, her hand still formed in the shape of a duck's beak. "Ah want ya here," she pouted, tapping the wall. "Not over there, naughty duck."

She hovered the duck hand closer to the wall she was almost hugging and she giggled. "Quack, quack, there ya are!" she beamed, kissing the shadow and twirling around. "Santa goes quack, jingle all the way an' bells, bells, bells. Jingle bells, Logan runs an' panties play with Rudolph. Panties, farts an' ducks an' bells, jingle all the way!"

The little girl danced her way around the bedroom with her hand never shifting away from the duck face it had taken on as its own. "Ah'm a Christmas dancer an' jingle all the way."

Curtsying when she finished her very good and _really_ good song, she helped the duck hand bow and climbed back onto the large bed. It looked messier than Logan's hair so she started to slap and brush the wrinkles away from the sheets.

"Messy, messy jingle bells, jingle all the way. Ah'm not on Santa's naughty list. La, la, la, bells, bells, bells. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!"

* * *

Growling, Logan tackled his brother to the ground and snarled in his face. "Enough!" he snapped, glaring between the feral and the X-Man.

"Jimmy," Victor smirked, pushing the cage fighter off him roughly and smudging the blood from his claws to the flannel shirt close by. "You're wrecking my fun." He nodded at his victim. "Just like chasing down a hog to roast. I've got a real squealer here."

Panting and attempting to capture his breath, Scott Summers wiped the blood and sweat from his brow, nose, cheeks and everywhere else for that matter. "You know him?" he spluttered to Logan. "He's a dangerous psychopath we keep close watch over because this is the way he acts when he's anywhere near civilisation! What were you thinking? He attacked me!"

The X-Men leader puffed out his chest as he continued to sternly spit words for the whole of Canada to hear. "Okay, I'm definitely taking Marie now. You can't bring her here, in the middle of nowhere, to spend time around a known murderer!"

Logan made quick work of straightening himself out and approaching the Boy Scout with a hostile stare and a roll of his shoulders. "That," he growled, jerking a thumb Sabretooth's way. "Is my goddamn brother, One Eye."

Shock settled behind Scott's visor and he dabbed his nose with the back of his palm. He didn't think it was broken but it was close to dropping off. "My conscience won't allow me to walk away from her knowing she isn't safe, Logan. I don't know why you thought this would be okay and I don't care right now." He winced as the feral seized the front of his shirt. "And I'm more than capable of defending myself!"

"Yeah," Logan snorted, cocking his head to the side and slamming the little shit against a nearby tree. "Of course you are." He tightened his grip on the squirming threat. "You speak to Wheels before you caught the hero bug and cantered on out here?"

"That has nothing to do with the current situation, Logan!" he hissed, his hand snapping to his visor and readying his pounding heart to blast the Canadian away.

"See that, Jimmy," Victor smirked, stalking closer to the two. "He's trampling all over our territory and he's gonna take the pup with him. You need to show him what you're made of, little brother. Show him what happens to fuckers who threaten our family."

Logan's claws tore through his knuckles and he growled. "Can it, Vic," he grunted, pointing the razor sharp points dangerously close to Cyclops' neck. "She's _mine_! Marie's my kid, damn it. You get what I'm saying now? I rode her Ma and she fell pregnant. That kid has my goddamn scent!" Their noses almost touched as a menacing Logan leaned closer and stared the man down. "I'm not above taking a leaf out my brother's book if you keep up with what you're doing."

The words quickly sunk into Scott's mind like his cranium was filled to the bone rafters with quicksand. He hadn't talked to the Professor before he had come here to save the small child, but he was beginning to wish he had. He couldn't quite believe a sweet, little girl like Marie had come from feral sperm and crudeness. Yet it was difficult to argue with the scene in front of him. Logan had wanted to kick his ass plenty of times but it had never come to this.

"You need to let go of me," Scott mumbled, wanting to return to Jean at the mansion so she could appraise his injuries and soothe his bruises with her hands. "I believe you, okay? You're her dad and I'm going to back off."

Growling, Logan shoved him to the ground and turned away. "See that you do," he muttered, walking for the cabin. "And tell that Professor of yours he'll be lucky if he catches me and the kid in that mansion of his again."

The burly, Canadian cage fighter stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder. "Victor," he grunted, catching on to his brother's plans. Long nails and a chilling smirk could only mean one thing. "I'm not feeding the kid geek for breakfast," he snorted, sheathing his claws. "Leave it alone. You've already kicked his ass, huh. We need to get back to Marie."

With his charred flesh still healing on the right side of his monstrous body, Victor never answered. A glint in his eye and a roar followed him as he leapt for the fucking X-Man, intent on the killing the prey who'd pushed it too far on his land.

* * *

"Jingle, jingle, bells, bells," Marie sang, standing on the middle of the bed and hopping about with a string of smiling smiles like a smiley girl. "Ah'm on mah stage an' Santa is mah boyfriend, jingle all the way."

She twisted and turned, using the hem of the flannel shirt she was wearing to pretend she could fly like a reindeer. Her fingers gripped the shirt and she flapped it about as she burst into song again.

"Ah'm a really good singer, Santa singer, Christmas singer, singer, singer," she said, moving about like a debutante in the midst of a snowy scene. "Jingle all the way! Mama can hear meh singin' about bells because she's in jingle heaven."

The girl paused and waved at the ceiling. "Mama, jingle all the way! Ya can see meh, Ah can't see ya, jingle all the way."

She dropped onto the bed with a giggle and rolled about until the sheets were wrapped around her body and she was warm again. But her happiness soon faded and her bottom lip wobbled with her thoughts. Her Mama had gotten Mr Bojangles from the woods and turned him into a teddy bear for her to keep forever and ever. Now she didn't have Mr Bojangles anymore and she didn't have her Mama either. She wanted her Mama and she wanted her teddy.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, Marie is cryin'," she whispered, sniffling and hiding under the covers. "Jingle all the way."

* * *

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Logan growled, storming to the cabin and unbuttoning his ripped shirt as he went. "Every time, Victor, every time I've got to drag you away."

Sabretooth shrugged and strolled proudly after his brother. "I sure showed him, Jimmy. Beat his ass to a bloody pulp and don't you fucking tell me you didn't enjoy watching."

"I didn't," he grouched, climbing the porch steps. "He's a dick, I won't argue on that point, but what would have happened if the kid had witnessed that, huh? I can't have this around her, Vic. I don't want her growing up like we did, you hear me? You scare her and I'll –"

Logan stopped chewing his brother out and came to a stop outside the cabin with a frown. He listened carefully, shooting a harsh look over his shoulder. "Kid's crying," he announced, throwing the door open and marching to the bedroom.

"That pup's a singing, crying factory," Victor murmured, hearing the damn bell song trickle out from under the bedroom door. "You go do your duty," he added, his eyes narrowing as he held worry for the girl. "Fuck," he grumbled to himself. "I'm turning into a pansy."

With his head not liking that one bit, Sabretooth beckoned his wolf into the cabin and scowled. "Should've set you on the trespasser, Morrok. You would have been fed then."

* * *

Marie was curled under the heavy bedding and singing to her Mama in the dark clouds. There was no sun now and that meant the moon was the lady's nightlight.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells," she sniffled, pretending Rudolph and Mr Bojangles were right next to her. "Mama's comin' back tah meh. Jingle bells, Santa panties, jingle bells –"

She heard the door creak open and scrambling to her knees; she pushed the covers off her head. "Ya came back!" the girl cried excitedly, her face dropping when she spotted Logan instead of the person she thought it was going to be.

Logan looked on in concern as he watched the kid break into a loud sob that even had him feeling like he was the crappiest dad in the world. "Hey," he called out, walking over and wiping her tears away.

"Darlin', what's wrong?" he asked, furrowing his brow and making quick work as he threw his shirt to the floor. He wouldn't be hugging his daughter when he was stained with Scooter's blood.

The Wolverine returned to his Marie's side and as out of his depth as he was, he wanted to chase her hurt away. "C'mere," he sighed, picking her up when he received nothing that resembled an answer. "It's still me and you against the world, kid. Always will be, Marie. You just hang in there and I'll make this all better, huh. I promise."

* * *

**Merry Christmas! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter Six**

**"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning."  
― Albert Einstein  
**

Logan paced the bedroom with his little girl sleeping in his arms. He'd never gotten out of her the reason she had been crying, but he knew what he had heard when she was singing away. Hell, she wanted her Mama and there was nothing he could do about it. He was the Wolverine, he was a brawler at heart and would protect her until the end of time, but even he couldn't bring back the dead.

He reluctantly untangled Marie from his arms and tucked her in bed with a kiss dropped to her sleeping forehead. "Kid, you're going through a tough time right now," he sighed, fussing with the sheets until they sat around her. "But don't you worry about a thing. I've got Christmas covered, okay? We might not have a tree or anything like that and we won't have a turkey smoking up the stove, but you'll have presents and some candy."

The Canadian frowned at that. "Not a tonne of candy, mind you. You get too hyper and I'm not going to spend the day hosing down your uncle's fury."

Brushing a hand through her hair, he left the room and shut the door behind him. "Victor," he muttered, his fingernails niggling at a hole in his sleeveless, white shirt. "We've got to pull out all the stops come Christmas Day."

Sabretooth tossed another log on the fire. "Jimmy, what happened to the Pup's Ma?" he questioned as he grabbed another slab of wood and held it over the flames. "Figured the girl would want to see her this time of year."

Logan walked over to the coffee table and unsheathed a single claw with a sigh. "She died."

"You kill her?" the other feral rumbled, his brow wrinkling.

"No," he snorted, carefully slicing the head off the copper nail. "She was a junkie," he grumbled, picking the teddy up and turning it around his palm as he wondered how to stick the leg back on. "I met her when I was out drinking; she was a barfly I got to know in the john. We messed around and she went on her way. Next thing I knew the Professor was in my head asking me to pick the kid up from the side of a road."

Victor dumped the other log on the flickering flames and leaned against the mantle with a scowl. "You caught a junkie, fucked her and she fell for your pup," he stated, scratching his jaw. "Where does the road come into it?"

Logan growled as he recalled the day. "Chuck's voice appeared in my head as I was heading back from here and I was already close to the mansion," he muttered, shrugging. "He said there was something of mine on a road near a motel in this run-down suburb of New York. I drove there and I spotted Marie. He'd already told me what it was but I didn't believe him. How could I, huh? I wasn't planning on bringing a kid into the world, especially when I wasn't even there to take care of it."

Drumming his extending nails against the withered and scratched wooden mantle, Victor was confused. "Where the fuck was the junkie?"

"In the mortuary down town," he replied, watching the flames. "She was already dead. The damn woman had been shooting up with everything she could get her hands on."

"I don't get it, Jimmy," he responded, snatching the bear off his brother and searching for his staple gun. "Why the fuck didn't the cops pick the pup up and keep her outta the world till your ass had been traced?"

Logan heaved a sigh and took his time answering while he leaned toward the fire and dipped the tip of his cigar in the scorching heat. "She had a boyfriend, Victor, a piece of trash that did drugs with her. They were doing drugs the day she died and when the cops showed their faces, he lied and said the kid was his."

Victor snarled at that and paused in the tiny kitchenette. "What happened to him?"

He raised an eyebrow. "When I bundled the kid in the truck to keep her from freezing, I caught his scent on the wind and I followed after it. He thought it'd be okay to throw the girl out when she became too much trouble for his dealing habits. Hell," he sighed, taking the bear back when he realised what his brother was planning. "I kicked the door down to his motel room and I took care of it."

"You kill him?" he demanded to know, his claws scratching to slice the lying fuck from sternum to toe. "He could've led your pup to the grave, Jimmy. He'd already snuffed her beta out."

"She had a hand in ending her own life, Vic," Logan grunted, settling the cigar between his lips. "She was a junkie who had no business being around drugs when she was raising Marie. I didn't kill him, okay? I let my rage loose on him, I showed him what I thought of him mistreating my kid, I used my fists and he wasn't in the position to talk when I was done, but I didn't kill him."

Victor rolled his eyes in disappointment. "You missed an opportunity to get your claws dirty there, little brother."

"That might be so," he shrugged, sitting down. "Pass me a beer?"

Handling two beers, Sabretooth set them on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. "Why was the Pup working the tears again?"

"I think she misses her Ma," Logan grunted, taking a load of his feet and sitting on the recliner. "The kid wears her heart on her sleeve; you can see it in her eyes." He glanced at his brother and released a cloud of smoke from his lips. "I don't know what I'm doing here, Vic. What if I scar her for life, huh? She's real sensitive and we're wrecking balls."

"Speak for yourself, Jimmy," Victor snorted, cracking open his beer and taking a heavy gulp. "And you'll do good with raising the pup. You'll do good as long as you shred every fucking male that pants her way in years to come."

Logan groaned at that. "Shit," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I'd rather keep her this age. The worst I have to deal with is her dancing with a wolf and singing to her bear."

Victor barked out a laugh. "Feel free to gimme a call if you want my help burying some male shit with wandering hands."

"You're not helping, Vic," he grumbled, downing his beer in record time. "You're not helping at all.

* * *

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, Ah'm awake an' it's Christmas Eve," Marie belted out, skipping away from the bedroom and giggling when the large wolf licked at her cheek.

She poked the canine's nose and Morrok sneezed, his ears flapping about and a grunt smacking against his lips.

"Pup," Victor growled, flicking her nose in retaliation. "You like that?"

Marie shook her head and she huffed because he was too tall and she couldn't reach his nose. "Jingle bells, Uncle smells an' he's on Santa's naughty list. Rudolph's goin' tah poo on his head an' Mama's goin' tah spank him!"

Logan left the bathroom and quirked an eyebrow. "What's going on here?" he asked, not able to miss the murderous look in his brother's eyes. He picked his little girl up and kissed her forehead. "You causing trouble, kid?"

"He went like this, Logan," she frowned, smacking his nose.

Wolverine grimaced and controlled his urge to sneeze the roof off the cabin. He wrinkled his nose and shot a damaging look his brother's way. "We're going to be talking about that later," he warned the other feral. "If she's causing trouble, tell her off or call for me."

"'Tell her off'?" Victor barked with a laugh and threw the fridge door open. He grabbed a hefty slab of wrapped, bloody steak and tossed it onto the counter with a satisfied growl. "Jimmy, that's not me. The pup plays up and I'm tanning her hide until she's bawling."

The threat dragged a protective snarl from Logan. "You just try it," he rumbled, carrying Marie to the bathroom with a scowl. He'd kick Victor's ass if he pulled anything like that on his watch. Shaking his head free from the anger, he glanced at the girl in his arms. "You need a bath," he stated.

Marie pouted. "No, Ah can't sit in the bath!" she gasped, poking Logan on the cheek. "Ah need tah watch for Santa an' go reindeer dancin'."

Logan quirked an eyebrow and sighed, knowing he was going to regret asking the kid to explain herself. She always had a talent for leaving him speechless.

"Okay, I'll bite," he said, sighing again. "What's 'reindeer dancing' and where do you fit in?"

When she was set on the wooden backed chair beside the empty bath, Marie smiled as she spoke. "Ah go out an' dance in the snow an' if Ah keep dancin' Rudolph's nose will shine more an' Santa will give meh lots of toys for helpin' him!" she exclaimed excitedly, talking quickly and waving her hands about. "Mah dancin' makes Santa's sleigh fly."

He blinked and he blinked and he blinked. Suddenly he crept back to life and he dragged a hand down his face. "Darlin'," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Who told you that was so?"

"Mama did!" the girl beamed, moving to her knees and watching the bath start to drown in water. "She said it all the time when she was playin' with her hospital toys."

Logan grunted and rested his calloused right hand on the bath tap. "Marie…" he said, trailing off and fighting to think of an excuse to use on her.

The thing was he couldn't explain her mother's behaviour away, though. The damn woman had destroyed her life and filled their daughter's head with crappy excuses when she wanted to be left alone with her drugs. She'd effectively dug her own grave with her lifestyle and he wasn't in a forgiving mood.

"Kid," he finally piped up, scooping her into his lap as he sat on the edge of the tub with her. "You don't need to dance this year. Not for that reason, anyway."

Marie face was engulfed by a sulky pout and a look of concern. "But Logan!" she whimpered. "If Ah don't dance outside Ah won't get any toys an' Santa won't like meh anymore. Mama told meh everythin' about everythin' 'cause Ah'm a big girl!"

Logan wore a face that was akin to thunder. If the woman hadn't already been dead he'd be out there hunting her down. "Darlin', your Mama, she was wrong about this okay?" He heaved a sigh. "You'll never have to do that again because this Santa guy of yours, he knows better than anybody else around that you're a good girl, Kiddo."

She didn't answer him, choosing to sulk until she was the sulkiest Marie that had ever lived. He couldn't tell her what Santa thought because he didn't have a white beard and his clothes were all wrong! Logan didn't even have a big tummy that made him giggle when it danced on his body and looked like a really big hairy, hill.

When he didn't receive a reply, he sighed and patted her back. "Take a bath, huh," he told her, helping her to her feet and standing with a stretch of his arms. "Then we can chat more about this later, Darlin', because I don't think you understand what I'm saying." He walked to the door with a sigh. "Just wash yourself and we can have a good talk once you're done."

Marie waited for him to leave and she folded her little arms with a huff. "Jingle bells, Canada Land smells an' Rudolph's goin' tah sit on Logan," she sang miserably. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!"

Standing outside the door, Logan frowned and knocked on the wood separating him and the girl. "Kid, get bathed," he ordered, growling lowly. "C'mon, get to it."

When he heard her feet hop in the water, he returned to sniffing out some whiskey and was thankful his liver was able to heal the beating it usually received when he was staying here in the cabin.

"She's going to kill me, Vic," he grumbled to his brother. "She's already killing me."

"Jimmy," Victor smirked, lounging on the couch with the wolf at his feet. "You've done a fucking character assassination on yourself. Ain't no use blaming a pup for your troubles."

He grunted gruffly. "Thanks for that."

"No problem," the older feral grinned, before turning onto a serious point. "Now what the hell was she going on about in there? That dancing shit was fed to her good."

"I know," Logan uttered, growing angry all over again. "What am I going to tell Marie? That her Ma was a selfish liar who wanted her out the way because she couldn't care less about the kid she brought into the world?"

"No," Victor grouched. "You tell her no dancing is needed because that fat bastard who's supposed to throw shit down the chimney is a man of strict routine."

The cage fighter shrugged. "You know what," he said, glancing at the guy sitting on the couch. "That might work."

He smirked. "You sound surprised, little brother."

"That's because I am," Logan snorted, dropping onto the couch beside his sibling. "You're never this helpful usually. I'm starting to think the kid's getting through to you and that stone heart of yours."

Victor had been about to answer when the bathroom door was thrown open. Both ferals snapped their gazes to the spot where Marie was dripping bubbles and excitement as she hopped about.

"Logan, Logan!" she cried, bouncing about. "We need carrots an' cookies an' milk tah leave out for Santa tonight! They're goin' tah be hungry when they get here!"

"They?" the older feral questioned, looking to his brother for answers.

Wolverine sighed. "Santa and the reindeer," he answered, wondering how he even knew that. "Kids like to leave out stuff for them to eat."

Sabretooth frowned. "Hell," he murmured. "That fat fucker is related to old Fred Dukes," he announced with certainty. "I'm on to something here, Jimmy."

Logan snorted in amusement. "About time you used that brain of yours, Victor."


	7. Chapter 7

**Ain't No Use in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter Seven **

**"A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it."**  
**― Albert Einstein**

"You point me in the right direction," Logan sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair and glaring at his brother when the man barked out a laugh. "Then get out of my way and I'll track him down."

"Quick, quick," Marie whined, pushing against his back to get him moving. "He's goin' tah hide if ya don't go an' get him. He can't hide with mah toys!"

Wolverine frowned, quirked an eyebrow and searched the main room of the cabin. He sniffed the air surrounding him and hoped that would be good enough for the kid. "Nah," he said, shaking his head and turning around. "He's not here, Darlin'."

Her face fell with worry. "Logan, he can't find the doghouse we're in."

Victor rolled his eyes. "I don't live in a damn doghouse. Shit, even Morrok don't own a doghouse."

"It's a cabin, kid," Logan corrected, picking her up and setting her on his shoulder. He held onto her ankles and sighed. "And if Santa can do all these amazing things then I'm sure he has GPS on that sleigh of his."

"What's that?" the little girl asked, frowning and styling his hair into fluffy spikes.

"Great Pansy System," Victor rumbled before another feral could get a word in edgeways. "It's what dumb fucks use when they don't know their head from their ass."

Logan growled and stopped trying to ignore the words spilling out his brother's mouth. "Quit talking like that in front of her. How many times do I have to tell you I don't want a kid with a mouth like a sewer, huh?" He turned his attention back to the curious girl on his shoulders. "Marie, it's a box that talks and tells people where to go when they get lost."

"Like the Professor?" she smiled, hugging Logan's head. "He talks an' tells meh where tah go when Ah get lost. An' he tells meh where the cookies are an' he says it in mah head."

The reluctant X-Man sighed. "Last time he helped you out all Storm had to do was follow the crumbs and she found you being sick in the laundry basket," he reminded her. "And you learnt a real important lesson that day, kid. Remember what it was?"

She nodded. "Tah ask ya for cookies because England Land folks are naughty an' tell meh naughty things. They're all on Santa's naughty list!"

Logan grunted in agreement. "Attagirl," he smirked, spinning around in a damn manly way.

Marie beamed and started to sing because she was happy and full of bells. "Jingle, jingle, Canada Land an' panties, it's Christmas Eve! La, la, la, cookies, bells an' jingles in Canada Land an' jingle all the way."

Victor was running out of patience. "Jimmy, ain't it the pup's time to sleep yet?" he asked through gritted teeth. "It better be. It damn well better be."

Wolverine bit back an amused smirk. "Just about," he answered, shrugging and plucking the girl free from his shoulders. He dropped her gently on the couch and sighed. "Now," he said, hooking his thumbs in his jean pockets. "What do you want to leave out for your fat, hairy friend?"

Marie blinked and looked over at her uncle, thinking Logan was talking about him. "Ah don't know," she admitted. "What do ya want, fat hairy man?" She smiled. "Do ya like jingle bells, cookies, milk, carrots an' Christmas farts?"

The scowling, muscular mutant wall stared the pup down. "No," he grumped, extending a jagged nail and making quick work of slicing a slab of steak. "Jimmy, you've got yourself a simple one there. She takes after your Ma, that's for fucking sure."

"Stop saying that," Logan growled, sitting down beside Marie. "She's nothing like her. You know she's not, Vic. So stop being an ass and help me out here." He turned his attention back to the girl. "Darlin', I meant Santa. What do you want to leave out for him?"

"Cookies an' milk," she said, sitting up on her knees and leaning against his arm. "He only likes cookies an' milk an' the reindeers want carrots."

Both ferals stared at her and heaved a heavy sigh. Victor growled first. "Do I look like the type of bastard who keeps a stock of cookies, milk and vegetables around me?"

Marie nodded because she thought he did. "Yeah," she smiled, leaning on the back of the couch and watching him. "An' Santa's not goin' tah leave ya coal because ya a good boy who eats vegetables."

Logan's face was full of a shit-eating grin. "I think you're on to something there, kid," he joked, ruffling her hair and hugging her to his side. "But I don't think we have any carrots, milk and cookies."

Huffing, Victor curled his upper lip when the girl started to cry. He washed his hands clean of the meat and stalked over and grabbed her. "Pup," he growled, holding her in the air and pointing her toward the top of the fridge. "What do you see up there?"

As Logan kept a careful eye on the situation, Marie looked at the spot on top of the fridge. She peered at the dust and debris with a frown. "Somethin'," she said, not really knowing what it was.

"Yeah," Sabretooth agreed with a curt nod. "That something is called a strap."

Disapproval rumbled deeply in Logan's chest and he eased himself off the couch. "Victor…"

The older, gruffer feral rolled his eyes. "I ain't finished, Jimmy," he murmured, letting the kid pull the leather implement down. "That, pup, is for me to use on this red fella. If he don't come I'm gonna find him, let him have it and he'll be redder than ever, y'hear? So stop your crying 'cause it's pissing me off."

Marie nodded and the dusty, dirty strap flapped about in her pale hand. "The reindeers can't eat this."

Snorting, Logan reached over for his kid. "Maybe not," he sighed, hugging her close. "But Santa will sure want to."

* * *

Victor scratched his head and watched his dumb ass brother fuck about with the thousand gifts he'd bought the pup. "Hey, Jimmy," he called, eyeing his steak sitting on the table with a beer and the strap. "We ain't gonna leave the meat here all night are we?"

"No," Wolverine sighed, dumping the last of the toys in the corner of the room. "You cook it, Vic. Santa's not real, you know." He smirked at the man. "Or were you expecting some company dropping down the chimney tonight?"

Sabretooth grumbled and grabbed his raw meat. "I don't share anyways," he muttered, heading for the stove.

Grinning, Logan made his way to the bedroom and poked his head in. He grimaced when he spotted a lack of Marie and an empty bed. Sniffing the fresh scent in the air, he followed it to the built in closet and shook his head. "Darlin'," he said, rapping on the closet door. "Your bed misses you."

"Shh!" Marie whispered her eyes wide and full of worry as she tried to hold the doors closed. "Ya goin' tah scare Santa away!"

His hand prised the door open gently and he sighed down at her. "Kid, he's not here yet. Santa only comes when little girls are in bed asleep." He held his palm out for her. "C'mon, times running away and bedtime has been left way back in the dust."

She shook her head because she really wanted to see Santa and ask him to be her friend. He could dance with her and make Mr Bojangles better again. She wanted to show Rudolph how to eat chocolate and then she would ask them to get her mama back.

Logan stooped down and looked her in the eye. "Marie, you're going to bed." He caught the scent of tears threatening to fall from her young eyes and he tried to keep his words firm and to the point. "Don't fight me on this."

He lifted her from the closet and in two long strides he'd deposited her on the bed, delivered a solid swat to her backside and tucked her in. "You'll thank me for being this way when you're older, kid. You have to learn to follow the rules if you want to get by in this world, understand?"

The cage fighter knew how hypocritical his ass was sounding but it was one set of rules for him and another for his kid. He was going to make damn sure she would toe the line and stay sweet and innocent forever and a day. Hell, he was starting to sound like Summers again.

Marie's lower lip trembled and a whimper escaped. "Ya – ya mean, Logan!"

He nodded curtly. "I figured you find that out sometime, Darlin'," he muttered, brushing her tears away gently with his thumb. "Best be getting some sleep now, okay? You've got a busy day tomorrow."

Without waiting for any whined answers covered in tears, Logan left the room and closed the door on his way out. "Damn it," he murmured, scratching the back of his neck. "The kid makes it hard for me to stay angry at her.

Victor smirked. "You're turning into a fucking pansy, Jimmy."

"Hey," he snorted, making quick work of the floorboards as he approached the pile of presents again. "I wasn't the one nailing a toy to the coffee table."

The older feral snarled at that. "Yeah, well, she kept shedding pup tears." he grumbled, trying to work out how to fry his steak without lighting too big of a fire. "And this type of thing is woman's work. Go get her outta bed again so she can cook."

Logan rolled his eyes. "The kid's seven, you asshsole," he muttered, crouching down and eyeing the mountain of gifts. He suddenly frowned. "Scratch that. I was real close again but a year up from what she is."

"Six?" Victor grunted, roaring a curse when he burnt his hand.

Wolverine sighed. "Yeah, she's six, and she'll be up out of that bed again if you keep on screaming that way." He turned his attention back to the presents and a thought slowly dawned on him. "Goddamn it!"

"I'm being too loud, huh, Jimmy? I'm the loud fucker and you're over there barking away like scrap of fur with rabies," Victor chuckled darkly, watching his burnt flesh slowly healing.

"I've got every right to," the younger feral responded, gesturing at Marie's Christmas presents. "What are we going to wrap them with? I didn't buy any paper."

Victor turned to face him. "What do you mean 'we'?"

* * *

"I'm close to shredding the flesh off your bones, little brother," Sabretooth admitted through gritted teeth as he threaded toothpicks through the heavy, flannel fabric. "Closer than fucking close."

"Yeah," Logan growled, sending a glare his way. "I get it; I get the picture, so shut up already." Watching his kin sewing the blanket into a makeshift sack caused his hackles to shake with laughter. "Damn, I wish I had a camera. This'd make some rich blackmail –"

Within seconds Victor had Logan pinned to the ground. "If you breathe a word of this to the world I'm taking the pup and handing her over to old Buckethead, James."

"You do it and my claws are coming into play," Logan warned as he turned his dark stare on the bedroom door. Even tiny footsteps couldn't outrun his ears. "Marie," he sighed, spotting the girl watching them. "Bed."

The little girl cocked her head to the side. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, Ah want Santa tah see meh! He can dance in Canada Land an' la, la, la."

Wolverine breathed out heavily and pushed his brother off him. He ignored the growls that trailed after his boots and stooped down to eye his kid. The kid that didn't even know she was his. "You need to get to bed, Marie. You hear me? I'm not playing around right now."

Hugging his neck, Marie beamed with jingle bells on her mind. "Logan land an' jingle bells, Santa's on his way."

"Hey Jimmy," Victor snarled, a shit-eating grin coating his scruffy features. He fucking loved it when he could kick his brother's balls into the next century. "Maybe if you started singing she'd listen to your useless ass."

Logan frowned and glanced over his shoulder. He tossed a glare his brother's way and as he stood with the girl housed in his arms, he flipped him off. "You'd just love that, eh?" he grunted, stepping into the bedroom and depositing the kid he'd brought into the world on the bed.

Marie smiled at Logan and waved at him. "Do ya want tah see mah dance?" she asked sweetly, standing on the bed and curtsying. "Ah can dance like the pretty girls on TV an' ya can clap as ya watch."

"Kid," he sighed, pointing to the spot where he expected her to lay and settle down in. "My hand's going to clap your backside if you don't do as you're told. It's time to sleep." He raised an eyebrow when she didn't make a move. "I'm going to count to three and if you're not laying there with your eyes closed you're going to wish you'd danced your way straight to bed when I'd told you to."

It occurred to him this was probably the longest warning he'd ever given anybody but he didn't want to scare a little girl. His brother was the one who spanked first and asked questions later. He was more a run of warnings coupled with thinly veiled threats. Still, how could he punish a kid who still smiled at him when he was dishing out stern advice as gruffly as he was?

Sitting down beside her pillows, Marie giggled. "Ya look funny when ya pull ya faces like that, Logan. Mama's friend who was a boy went like this when he was moody." She started to pull at her lips and roll her eyes about.

"Yeah well I can beat him any day of the week, darlin'," he snorted, kicking the door shut and dropping onto the bed beside her. She'd obeyed him and he didn't like it when she spoke about that asshole her ma had been screwing, so he decided to stay with her until she was asleep.

"Logan?" Marie piped up, crossing her legs and holding a look that filled him with dread.

"What is it, kid?" he found himself muttering, certain he knew what she was about to ask him. His instincts were telling him to run on out of here, but he ignored them and leant against the headboard with a sigh.

"Can ya tell meh a story?" she asked, a gentle smile lighting up her face. "Mama always told meh a story when Santa was goin' tah come."

Logan was aching for a beer but he caught the show of hope in her eyes and he found himself falling into her trap. He'd been right when he'd thought she'd wanted a story. "Yeah darlin', I can read you a story." He looked around. "Where's the book?"

An excited Marie shook her head as her face glittered with happiness. "Ya have tah make it up like a really good boy an' then dance an' sing an' fart."

For the first time he could ever remember Wolverine was speechless and in need of saving.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ain't No Sense in Sugar-Coating It**

**Chapter Eight**

"**Love is a better master than duty."****  
****- Albert Einstein**

"Logan!" Marie called out, sitting up on her knees and pulling at his arm. "Wake up! Ya haven't told mah story yet an' Santa's not happy with ya." When he still didn't move she started to shout in his ear. "Rudolph's goin' tah poop on ya head an' dance on ya till ya laughin'."

He cracked open an eye and rubbed his ear, scowling all the while. "Darlin', Rudolph would think twice before acting out like that, and I wasn't sleeping, okay? I was giving my head time to think." He frowned, and glanced her way. "And you don't yell in my ear." The feral clacked his teeth together and was dying for a smoke as his hardened gaze roamed the barren room. The way he saw it, Victor really needed to pull his finger out and get to decorating the place. But hell, _he_ needed to stop searching for a way out of this. "Are you sure you need this story, kid? It's near on midnight and you've got to be tired."

Marie nodded every time he said a word. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle time in Story Land!" she warbled, clambering onto Logan's knee. She pinched his scratchy cheeks and giggled. "Ya have tah sing with meh."

Logan blinked and cleared his gravelly throat. "Story it is then," he answered, sighing. "Hell, I don't know how to start this off but I guess there's this kid, a girl, and she's in this place."

The little girl leaned closer to his face and tapped his lips, almost as if she was searching his mouth for a better story. "What place, Logan? Where is she?"

"Uh, she's in a bit of muddle." He scratched his mutton chops and was clueless when it came to talking this way. "There's a family connection she's been kept in the dark about and the thing is her past has been tromped all over. Her dad don't want that to happen to her future so he's planning on keeping quiet about it all."

"Logan, ya silly," Marie cocked her head to the side, curling up against his body because he was warm like Canada Land toast. "An' this is a funny story."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess it is. But what if I said there was a moose and-" The feral once again looked around the room desperately. His eyes fell on the threadbare red on black curtains, the oak chest born in the 1800's, and finally, he spotted something of use. "He was hiding out there in the closet because the Mounties were after him."

The girl glanced over her shoulder and pouted. "Ah don't know what a Mountie is an' is a moose a monster?" she whispered, scooting closer to Logan's chest and starting to tremble.

Logan glanced down at the scared fingers curled around the fabric of his flannel shirt and snorted. "Nah darlin', it's not a monster. A moose is a big deer," he explained, smiling as he patted her temples. "They've got antlers right here. It's kinda like a reindeer."

Marie slowly calmed down and was thinking about Rudolph again. "Can Ah get a moose for Christmas?" she said, using her best good girl face.

Logan shook his head in amusement. "No, I might get you a Mountie, though." He tapped her nose. "One of those might come in handy when I can't get you to behave yourself." Before she could question him he told her what the hell one of those was. "It's a Canadian cop who dresses in fancy gear when they feel like showing off. Just think of it like the cops in the U.S wearing a dress and cantering about on a horse."

"Ah don't know what ya talkin' about, Logan," she whispered to him, glancing at the shadowy closet door every now and again. "Is the moose deer still in there?"

The Canadian smirked and wrapped an arm around her tiny waist. "Yeah kid, he's still in there. The Mounties can't sniff him out all too well. But do you know what?"

"What?" Marie said, looking concerned.

"I don't know what the moose did to think he needed to hole up in our closet. Do you think he was out stealing twigs and berries? Or was he wrongly convicted of something, huh? I can't decide one way or another."

"He's in trouble," she quickly told him, twisting one of Logan's shirt buttons.

Logan tried to keep his grin under control. He was having fun here gaining her imagination's trust and leading it along. "What did he do then, darlin'?"

Marie made her mind up in seconds and looked as serious as a heart attack as she spoke. "He farted bells on the President Man."

He snorted in surprise. That hadn't been what he was expecting to hear. "Well I'm guessing he's not popular across the border right now, kid. I think he should stay here a little while longer."

She nodded. "He can stay here forever an' ever because he's mah friend."

"What's your friend's name, Marie?" he asked, thinking he was about to be surprised again.

"It's Mr. Fartin' In Canada Land Feet With Bells On An' Dancin' All The Time In The Snow Because It's Christmas Eve An' Ah'm Really Happy, Logan."

Logan whistled. "That's some name, kid." He patted her side. "But everybody needs a name. Even your uncle out there does," he smirked, jerking his thumb to the bedroom door. "Though I can't tell you what I call him."

She didn't understand a thing he said, but she nodded anyway and gasped when there was a sound coming from the closet. "The moose deer's movin'!" she whispered, close to sitting on Logan's head as she sat up on her knees and moved even closer to him.

The feral sighed. The damn wolf was crashed out in the closet but he wasn't going to give the game away. "Yeah darlin', he's snoring because he's asleep." He raised an eyebrow. "I know somebody else who should be snoring, too."

With that said he set her under the sheets and tapped her nose with his finger. "Close your eyes, kid."

"Jingle bells, Christmas Land in Canada Land, bells, Land an' bells," Marie murmured, her eyes drifting shut as she thought about the moose deer in the closet.

Figuring he would stay here until the singing died out and she was actually asleep, Logan sighed and bunked down beside her. He was wondering where she'd gotten this singing and dancing side from. It definitely wasn't from him that was for sure. In the scheme of things, he was pretty normal, but hell, who knew what Victor got up to when he wasn't here. His brother was probably a singing, dancing bastard of a mutant who wore dresses and hit the local bars for a chance to pick up a bunch of musical dates.

While his gruff thoughts rolled around in head, he closed his eyes for a second, only a second. It was one second, okay? Nothing more and nothing less, though the next thing he knew there was a hyper kid bouncing around and landing on his chest.

"Logan! Logan! It's Christmas, get up!" Marie demanded, the bright sunshine flooding the bedroom as she poked at his face. "Ya have tah get up, Logan. The moose deer's gone away an' the doggy's eatin' ya silly coat."

He blinked away and scrubbed a calloused hand over his eyes. "Huh?" he murmured. "What do you mean the dog's…" His words trailed off and he was leaping from the bed in a flash, knocking the kid from his chest, and his feet beating it out of the bedroom. "Victor!"

Sabretooth was lounging on the couch with an extended fingernail picking at the meat between his teeth. His eyes snapped to his wolf and he shrugged. "'Rok's hungry," he said, watching the wolf shred the leather apart with a growl and a shake of his large, canine head. "Leave him be."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "You're buying me a new jacket or I'll be wearing _him_," he threatened quietly, pointing at the wolf.

Through the growling and the snarling ferals, a little girl burst from the bedroom and squealed at the mess she found. "Santa's been! Santa's been!" She threw herself down on the floor by the presents and frowned. "He's been naughty, Logan."

Wolverine stopped himself from booting the wolf on the nose and strolled over to her, hooking his thumbs on his belt loops. "Naughty? How so, darlin'? Look at all the gifts he's brought you."

Her eyes were alight with love and happiness as she scanned the many presents and started to pick them all up. She was attempting to stack every single one in her arms, only pausing to coo over a cuddly toy, or stroke a box. "They're not cuddled in paper," she said. "Look, Logan! Look at the dog an' Barbie an' this an' that! Look at it all! Santa loves meh!"

A reassured smile cracked through Logan's nonplussed gaze and he crouched down beside her. "You can't play with them all at the same time," he snorted, taking the stash away from her. "Here, put them down on the table and sort through them that way."

Victor flicked a shredded lump of meat from his nail and a chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Knew you'd gone and bought that fuckin' doll for yourself, Jimmy. Can't find another redhead to put up with your shit-"

"Can it for today, huh?" Logan said dryly. "You can paint your bull tomorrow, Victor." He stacked the first half of the presents on the coffee table, and displayed them for Marie. "There you go, Kid. You get stuck into those and I'll grab the others."

"We need a bigger table," Marie piped up, patrolling the edge of the wooden furniture and stopping by each present to smile and hop from foot to foot excitedly. She picked up one of the cuddly dogs and shook it inside its box, trying to pull it out, but it was tightly secured in place. "He's scared tah come out…" she whispered to herself, and turned to look at her uncle. "Ya have tah sing until he comes out."

Victor stared down at the box dumped on his lap. "I ain't singing for nothing," he stated, his biceps tensing. "But I'm good for something, Pup. Here, let me show you what I'm good for." He slammed his nails through the glossy plastic covering the front of the box, but all the little girl could see was her new toy getting hurt.

She screamed and wailed at him, causing Logan to swing around and snarl at his brother. "What the hell's your damage, Victor?" he grumbled, leaning over the back of the chair and snatching the butchered box from his hands. "She's asking you to open it, not have it for breakfast."

"I _was_ opening it," Victor growled defensively, lighting a cigarette and settling his feet on the coffee table. Some of the toys tumbled to the ground and he grinned. "That's my way of opening shit, little brother."

Logan rolled his eyes and snapped the tags off the toy, the pack of batteries tucked between two of his calloused fingers. He dropped the empty box, and fumbled with the bottom of the dog as he tried to stuff the batteries inside it. "Give me a minute, kid," he told the impatient tyke. "I'm not too clued up when it comes to this type of thing."

"Ya hurtin' him, Logan," she whimpered in disappointment, and stood on her tiptoes, opening her arms and waiting to receive her doggy. "Ya ticklin' his tummy, too."

He fumbled with the batteries, eventually clicking them into the space provided with a snort at the girl's heartfelt words. "No Darlin', I'm not hurting him." He smirked down at her and flipped the switch beside the battery pack. There was a yap, a happy squeal belonging to Marie, and he handed the toy over, glad to see he could be of service.

"Thank ya!" Marie said softly, hugging her toy and giggling when it wriggled and barked in her arms. She skipped to the middle of the room, finding a perfect spot to sit down and let the doggy walk around and wag its tail.

Logan dropped down onto the couch and scratched the back of his neck with a sigh. "I don't want to hear it, Victor," he warned, feeling his brother's eyes drilling a hole into the side of his head.

"You've turned into a pansy," Sabretooth muttered over his cigarette, a smug look tearing at his face.

The younger feral nodded, his eyes travelling to his kid when she squealed with joy and clapped her hands. She was resting on her knees and watching the toy with a look he recognised. He'd been the exact same way when he was her age: wide eyed with hope and easily pleased with the world.

The dog flipped backwards again, landing on its four fluffy paws and it drew another round of excitement from Marie. Logan cracked a grin that almost split his face in two. "Damn straight, Vic," he answered his brother, not bothered by the label being slapped his way. "Damn straight."

* * *

The wooden floorboards were being eaten and digested by a mountain of toys, discarded boxes and torn plastic. There were pencils and crayons dotted about on the worn coffee table, and a colouring book left open on Victor's lap. He'd refused to help the pup with her drawing but Marie had let him hold the book anyway.

The little toy dog had stopped flipping and yapping because Morrok had taken exception to the other canine invading his territory, and Logan had turned the plaything off before it was eaten by the bellyaching wolf. And as Wolverine sniffed out some decent grub for the three, Marie was playing with her Barbie doll. She was sitting behind the chair her uncle was sleeping on and was feeling rather confused. She glanced from Barbie's hair, to Victor's, and then back again. "It's sunshine," she smiled to herself, thinking the colours were almost the same.

Marie's delicate hand was holding a tiny bright pink brush and she kissed Barbie's head, sitting the doll in the chair she had been born with. She picked up the other colourful accessories and slowly stood behind her uncle's messy hair. The girl shook her head and sighed to herself because it really, _really _wasn't tidy or nice to look at. But she was going to make it better again because she was a hair lady now and she liked painting hair lots, which was really good in a new job like hers.

With a serious look on her heart-shaped face, Marie set the tiny hairbrush down on the back of the chair, and she took one of the many colour swatches she had. Her careful fingers slid the fuchsia shaded swatch into the clip provided and she attached it to a lock of Victor's wild hair. Smiling, Marie began to hum Jingle Bells as she pulled the foil clip down the strand of hair, leaving a startling pink highlight in her wake. His hair wasn't long enough for her liking, but she thought it looked really pretty.

Victor grumbled, waking up to the feeling of somebody fucking with his hair. He batted whatever the hell it was away, and when the trouble didn't leave him, he threatened to break the Pup's fingers. "I fucking mean it too," he scowled, his eyes still clamped shut. "I'll snap every finger you own if you don't leave me alone."

Logan growled from his spot by the stove. He was hopeless when it came to cooking and was busy blowing at the charred remains of a steak. The smoke was smashing a stinging sensation to his eyes and he was having trouble paying attention to two problems at once. "Victor, I heard that," he called out, his voice gravelly.

"Good," the dangerous feral murmured, put out by the Pup's giggling. He started to guide his fingers over the back of his head and ripped a piece of plastic from his hair. "What the fuck is this?" He held it in front of his nose and sniffed at it suspiciously. "Jimmy, your pup's putting shit in my hair."

"Long as it isn't my hair," Logan answered, shrugging as he marched over to the front door with the blackened steak cremated on a plate in his hand. The smoke billowed from the burnt meat and he wrinkled his nose, threw open the door and flung the plate into the snowstorm that was circling the cabin like a troop of rattlesnakes. "And it looks like we'll be snowed in for a while."

Victor snapped a loose strand of pink hair from the clip. He stared at it, his eyes searching what he was figuring out to be fluff. But it didn't look right to him. "We've got enough rations, don't we?"

"I think so," Wolverine grunted, his eyes scanning the area the kid was giggling in. He wondered what was making her laugh like she was, and he shut the door. His sharp vision was nearing drunk when he spotted a streak of pink hair on his brother's head. While his glare snapped at the hairdresser doll's set he'd bought the kid, he approached the girl and pressed a finger to his lips to hush her. "I bought plenty at the store." The near sight of Victor's hair broke his face with a shit-eating smirk and he chuckled, plucking the kid from the floor and heaving her onto his broad shoulders for safekeeping.

"Logan, look what Ah did!" Marie uttered proudly, smiling from ear to ear. "It's pretty."

Victor turned around and spotted the pup pointing his way. "What's she going on about, Jimmy?" he grumbled, rising from his chair and tossing the clip to the floor. His hand started searching his head again and he scowled suspiciously.

Patting her on her ankle, Logan cleared his throat. "Nothing much, she's just made up with all the presents today." His lips twitched and he grinned. "You know, with it being Christmas."

He snarled, thinking something was stuck to his back. The Pup had already covered his refrigerator with sparkly stickers of cats and kittens, and if she'd done the same to his shirt there'd be hell to pay. "Get the fucking thing off me," he demanded, threateningly.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" he questioned, surprised his brother was _this _calm considering his hair was decorated in Barbie pink.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Victor snapped, clenching his fists and whipping around when he heard a _snikt!_ "What's the claw for? I ain't searching for a hole in my only shirt, asshole."

"She hasn't touched your shirt, Vic," he sighed, wincing when Marie giggled and interrupted him with chatter about 'pink hair' and a 'messy boy's head'. "She's… just a kid." His brother's face was foaming with fury, and Logan held a claw out in front of him. "Hey, don't even think about charging."

The unstable feral stormed into the bathroom in search of a mirror. "If she's done what I think she's done, I'm gonna kill her, James. I'll beat your ass and then toss her into the fucking snow!"

"I'll cut it out," Logan promised firmly, shaking his head. "It's only a small patch on the back of your head, damn it. And hey, the kid thinks it suits you." He smirked as he returned to the kitchenette with the girl still balanced on his shoulders and his claw sheathed. "Don't you, kiddo?"

Marie nodded, still smiling in pride. "It looks really pretty, Mister Victor," she told him gently when he walked out of the bathroom with a murderous glare in his eyes. "Ya hair is pretty now." She seemed to study his face and was soon crestfallen by what she saw. "Don't ya like it?"

Victor stopped in his tracks, his head saying kill, but his heart in a goddamn vice. "Shit," he grouched, swallowing the bile in his throat and clawing at the back of his head. Scowling at his brother, he spoke through gritted teeth and promises of an ass kicking later for his mutton chopped kin. "Yeah, I like it, Pup. It's, uh, real grand." His eyes narrowed as Logan chuckled. "Do it again though and I'll feed you to Morrok."

A curt nod of thanks from Logan signalled he was relieved the problem hadn't gotten out of hand. After all, he was hoping this would be a decent first Christmas spent with Marie, and so far, it had turned out just fine. "I'm thinking your uncle is hankering for a stiff drink, Darlin'," he said, opening up the nearest cabinet door to his head. He snagged a pricey bottle of bourbon from the top shelf and offered it to his brother wordlessly.

Sabretooth's brow furrowed with great surprise and he took the bottle, checking it over. "This is expensive stuff, Jimmy," he grumbled, stating the obvious as he turned the bottled liquor around in his steady hands. "We buying gifts for each other now?"

Logan shrugged lazily. "Nope," he commented, setting the kid down on the floor and smiling as she hugged his waist. He stroked her hair, and snorted at his brother. "You really think we're that type of family?"

Victor grimaced at the thought. "I fucking hope not, now grab me a glass."

* * *

The brother's stood side by side on the frost ravaged porch, smoking and playing the day over in their heads. Victor was the first to choose a pairing of words as he knocked back a shot of his hardened liquor – a gift from his brother. "Getting cold out here ain't it."

"Yeah, it's cold. That pink streak in your hair has almost frozen to your scalp," Logan chuckled gruffly, cigar ash coating the roaring wind. "I'm surprised you haven't sliced your head off already."

Victor scowled when his cigarette was blown clean from his fingers. "The pup kept crying when I went to cut it out," he admitted darkly. "She'll be living in the woodshed if she keeps it up."

"Bullshit," Wolverine grunted, grinning slightly. "The kid's wormed her way into your black heart, Victor. I'm thinking she deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, eh?"

"She deserves something alright," Sabretooth agreed, fighting to light another cigarette, although he was losing the battle against the weather. "You gonna tell her the truth, Jimmy? Or you going to be a goddamn pansy for the rest of her days?"

He sighed and reluctantly gazed at his brother with a wary look. The same thoughts had been battling against his conscience for the past day or two. "No, not yet," he muttered, inhaling the smoke from his cigar and savouring it. "Think about it, Vic, she's happy. Who the hell am I to wreck everything?"

"Her pa?" Victor countered, roaring a curse when he lost another cigarette to the wind. "Fuck it! Where's that grey-haired bitch when you need her?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Your ass would be electrocuted if she heard you talking like that," he responded, handing a cigar over to his brother. "And you best try that instead of those candy sticks you have a thing for." He heaved a sigh as he surveyed the snowy scene around them. "I'm not her pa, Victor; I'm not good enough for that." Dumping the half-smoked cigar over the railing, he stuffed his frostbitten hands into his deep jacket pockets. "I can be her protector, though."

Muttering and cursing under his foggy breath about the Canadian fucking weather, Victor glanced at his brother. "You doing your duty?"

"No," Logan grunted, considering his place in the world as he answered. "That's not the reason I'm doing this. I don't care about duty, not this time."

Both ferals understood the importance of his statement, and they fell into an ice cube of silence, each mutant too manly to shiver as the snowstorm raged around their little cabin in the middle of the wilderness. As they were lost in their snow stocked mountain of thoughts, Marie was standing by the window in the bedroom, her nose pressed against the bleak wintry glass.

The delighted girl pursed her lips into a pout as she sang to the falling snow, her breath tickling the glass until she couldn't even see out of it. "Jingle bells, jingle bells in Canada Land," she serenaded, leaving a kiss mark on the window as she smiled brightly. "Jingle all the way! Ah'm happy, ya happy, we're happy in Canada Land, jingle all the way. It's the end of the song, happy song, happy Christmas; Ah love ya, jingle all the way!"

**~ The end ~**

* * *

Um, yes, happy Christmas to all my reviewers. This is a little late, I know that, but what's a little lateness between friends? But please do look above. I have finished a story! Can you believe I've finished a story? No, I can't believe it either. Once again, thank you to everybody who reviewed. Although, if you're one of those people who has been adding this story to their favourites and _hasn't_ left a review, you annoy me.


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